Opulent Elegance: A Journey through Ornate India (Part-3)

After reading various posts about Churu & Ramgarh , lot of viewers have asked very questions in past – how to reach Churu, what’s good time to visit these place, any recommended place to stay, main things to see/explore or something which shouldn’t be missed when in Churu region of Rajasthan, India. All these questions make me think about the quality of my earlier posts :), but then I found reasons to justify it. Anyways, all my earlier posts were more about the experience of various places in Churu & Ramgarh and I hardly talked about the way I reached there etc.How to reach Churu, Rajasthan - So we chose to drive from Delhi to Churu, but I don’t recommend that. Haryana roads are pathetic and frustrates you to the core. Although roads in Rajasthan are amazing. Since there is railway station is there in Churu, why not travel comfortably and hire a taxi for local commute. And in fact, try out local transport system to enjoy the trip in better way.Where to stay in Churu (Rajasthan) -As far as stay in concerned, I was invited by Malji Ka Kamra which is a haveli converted into hotel. A nice place to stay. Apart from that you should be able to find some home stays in this region.Main places to do/explore around Churu region of Rajasthan state in India – I am sure there must be lot of things which I didn’t explore. But here I would mention some of the places I visited or recommended by close friends or bloggers I know.Haveli Tour - Churu is popularly known for it's heritage and havelis left behind by Kothari business families. There are huge havelis spread over the streets of Churu and lot of them are in ruins. Accompany a local who can tell you some eye opening stories about different families who owned these Havelis. Families of care takers are living in some of these Havelis, but it's certainly hard to maintain these huge buildings in Churu.Lacquer Jewelry of Rajasthan state is very popular and there are few families in Churu as well, who are into this business for many generations now. That can be a good gift for your family and friends, when you return from your trip.Pabuji ki Phad is dying craft of Rajasthan. It seems that there are very few folks now who can tell the whole story accurately. It's essentially a story depicted through songs, music, dance and pictorial representation. Some publications have tried to capture the history and stories associated but it seems that skill of telling stories is the key and that was honed by few families. In Churu you can experience it.Desert Camping Churu is also surrounded by desert on one side and hence one can plan to camp in desert. I am not sure, if there are camps to stay overnight but one can certainly go there for few hours, enjoy snacks and star lit sky.Wood Carving Artists (National Award Winner Family)Churu has National Award winning family which is famous for it's unique wood-carved art pieces. This was my best experience to see unimaginable art-pieces and family of artists who won national awards multiple times and shown the talent over the generations.Prem Sarovar is another water body nearby surrounded by farms and trees. Such water bodies are spread over different parts of Rajasthan.Golden Temple of Jains There is a beautiful temple near clock-tower in the middle of Churu market. Beautifully designed. Check out the link to see more photographs of the place.Desert Bonfire - Bonfire in desert can also be a good idea. Thanks to Malji Ka Kamra folks, who arranged everything for us. It was very special experience during Churu trip. Do check out the link to know more.Sethani ka Johara is a beautiful place in Churu town. It's a huge water body surrounded by beautiful architecture. I found it a good place to spend time around sunset. It's little away from hustle bustle of the town and safe as well.Shopping options (Silver utensils) - While visiting Churu, I got to know that lot of Silver stuff is made in these streets and exported to different parts of the world. This boy was making beautiful silver spoons and there were good number of such shops making silver utensils.Here are few options which Tripadvisor suggests - 10 Best places to visit in Churu.

Vithala temple is one of the important temples of Vijayanagara, which has amazing architecture. Like other temples in south India, this one is also with a huge compound with various temples around.  

We started back from Hampi to the train at 1pm for lunch and reached by 1:20pm. After lunch, it was time for some rest and then headed back again at 3:30pm.

The Vittala Temple in Hampi is one of the ancient monuments that is well-known for its exceptional architecture and unmatched craftsmanship. It is considered to be one of the largest and the most famous structure in Hampi. The temple is located near the banks of the Tungabhadra River. Our guide took us inside some of the temples in this compound and made us hear music which comes out of the pillars. One needs to experience it live. Even videos can't help you with these kinds of experiences.

Vishnu temple, King’s balance and inscribed vishnu temple are around this part of Hampi. Virupaksha Temple, Achyutaraya temple and Yantrodharak Anjaneya temple are little far from this place.

Vishnu temple, King’s balance and inscribed vishnu temple are around this part of Hampi. Virupaksha Temple, Achyutaraya temple and Yantrodharak Anjaneya temple are little far from this place.

Hampi is also known as Temple town because of various town around Hampi town. I am little confused if Hampi is town or a village :). I heard lot of folks calling it as village.

Here is a photograph of Monolithic Nandi at Pattadakal Temples, Karantaka. If you intend to visit this temple, you need to take of your shoes. Golden Chariot staff provides you socks, but it's manageable without those socks as well :). Personally I prefer walking on bare feet.

After sumptuous breakfast on Golden Chariot, we boarded a bus from Goa Railway station to Ce Cathedral and idea was to explore the old Goa churches including Basilica of Bom Jesus.

I have already shared a lot of Ce Cathedral and Basilica of Bom Jesus in past, so would encourage you to check more photographs with appropriate details in this blog-post.

These churches are so beautiful that you feel like to coming here again and again.

Anybody visiting Goa, certainly comes to Old part of Goa and visit these churches. This is a huge area where you see various churches, museums, parks and walking areas.

Golden Chariot guests get to spend one day at Goa and then it heads back to Bengaluru. And in my opinion, Goa needs at least a week to really enjoy it’s beaches, restaurants, casinos, nigh life and explorations in old Goa. If you plan to take Golden Chariot trip and have more time in hand, I would strongly recommend to extend your stay in Goa and conclude your Golden Chariot journey here.

After exploring Old Goa and it’s churches, we headed towards a Solar Souto Maior which is oldest remaining heritage house in Goa and also a shop. Golden Chariot team takes all the guests to this place for tea, cookies and shopping, if you are interested.

Above photograph shows entry gate of City Palace in Udaipur, Rajasthan. This is how it looks in the evening. We went there for evening Light & Sound show as well. That's when this photograph is clicked. We will separately share about Light & Sounds show at City Palace of Udaipur.

The City Palace of Udaipur is located in older part of the city and on the bank of Lake Pichola. The location of the city palace is so special that you not only explore City Palace but a lot from Udaipur - be it handicraft market, beautiful ghats around Lake Pichola, some of the most stunning hotels around Udaipur etc. To reach the entry gate of City Palace, you have walk through the hustle bustle of market and during tour of the City Palace, you see Lake Pichola on the other side and Taj Palace hotel in middle of lake is clearly visible from City Palace.

Above photograph shows front part of the City Palace in Udaipur during evening light & sound show. Just after the the light & sound show, the palace is lit for sometime and that's when this photograph is clicked. All photographs in the blogpost are clicked with phone camera. Let's talk about timings of City Palace in Udaipur and ticket price for entry. Entry Ticket Fees at City Palace, Udaipur : Entry ticket price for Indian adults : 300 Rs Entry ticket price for kids above 5years (till 18 year) : 100 Rs No charges for kids below 5 years. Charges for Tour Guide : 300 Rs Just to note that you have to pay for guide at counter and then take any of the guides around ticket counter. You can certainly tip the guide at the end if you felt that the guide added lot more value than you expected. There are no extra charge for cameras, unless you want to go inside for commercial videography. Timings of City Palace in Udaipur : 9:30am till 5:30pm Related Blogpost - Raj Niwas - Book the whole hotel around Lake Pichola of Udaipur, if you are looking for an accommodation for 3 families with a private party space with stunning panoramic views in City of Lakes

Each gate inside the city palace is grand, so take time to spot, admire and move on. Bara Pol of city palace welcomes everyone in a grand way. Tripolia is another one which is significant inside City Palace of Udaipur. Most of the gates inside City Palace and other parts of Udaipur have these huge wooden doors with iron nails jutting out of them. Similar doors can be seen in other palaces & forts like Kumbhalgarh of Rajasthan.

All photographs above except the first one are clicked during Light & Sound Show of City Palace in Udaipur. Light & Sound show is a good way to hear history of Mewar kingdom. Whole narration is done with some interesting light effects along with interesting music in the background. In comparison to other light & sound shows in India, this is certainly not very special. So you won't miss much if you don't plan for evening Light & sound show and rather opt for a guide during daytime tour to the City Palace.

Construction of this palace began in 1559 and then city palace was continuously rebuilt over the next four centuries. If you closely look at the architecture it reflects Mughal, Rajasthani and even European styles in various parts of this huge City Palace of Udaipur. Sisodia dynasty ruled the former kingdom of Mewar and is India’s oldest dynasty. Udaipur became the capital of Mewar in the 16th century.

Above photograph shows different kinds of royal karts, which are used by royal family of Mewar in horse-karts. It's great to see this collection preserved well in City Palace of Udaipur. Many such royal collections at City Palace of Udaipur make you think about lot of aspects associated. Some of these royal families were smart to convert these heritage places as tourist places on time and Udaipur City Palace seem to be doing much better on this front.

With every passing year, City Palace is adding new collections in museums. There is also a section dedicated to old photographs of the City Palace and same photographs are also painted by artists from Rajasthan. There is also a section which showcases musical instruments used inside the Palace, either my members of royal family or artists in darbar.

City Palace of Udaipur is maintained and run by royal family of Udaipur. Not very sure if Udaipur City Palace is part of HRH group or it's a separate entity. Irrespective of that, it's pretty clear that City Palace of Udaipur is maintained pretty well and with time, it's upgrade pretty well with relevant stuff. Some specific ceremonies also take place in City Palace on certain days, when public also get to meet Arvind Singh ji and his family. Holi of City Palace is quite popular when royal family is also present. Entry tickets are little expensive for those specific events/days.

There is a lot to explore inside City Palace of Udaipur. Above photograph shows the section where lot of stone carved idols are placed and most of them belong to Ekling ji temples. It seems lot of temples are destroyed there and what you see today is smaller part of original temples of Eklingji in Rajasthan. Each of these sculptures have details written along with them.

Above photograph shows some of the utensils used in this City Palace of Udaipur in old times. It's good to see these preserved so well. They are spread in whole City Palace of Udaipur. You find utensils in pathways, corners and also around the museum part of Udaipur City Palace of Rajasthan. Many of them are made up of brass, silver & copper.

City Palace is huge and divided into multiple sections. Salmon coloured Manak Mahal (Ruby Palace) to see a collection of porcelain figures. Moti Mahal (Pearl Palace) has some of the most stunning interiors I have seen.

Above photograph shows king's bedroom which has so many mirrors all across. The door of this room is made up of elephant teeth. This room was constructed in inspiration from the sheesh mahal in Amer.

Sheesh Mahal (Palace of Mirrors) is another section of Udaipur City Palace with stunning interiors & reflective surfaces all around. There is a beautiful peacock mosaics in Rang Bhawan of Udaipur City Palace. That's probably one of the most popular things at City Palace of Udaipur.

This is also that part of Udaipur Palace where kind used to play holi with queen and other guests. There is an enclosure which was mainly for king & queen to celebrate holi, while the open area you see above was to celebrate holi with guests.

Above photograph shows main entry gate for Udaipur City Palace and there are these canons installed at the entry gate. May times, people are in rush to see the City Palace but forget to pause here and appreciate these old canons of Mewar.

One of the kings of Mewar was handicapped, so in one section of the Udaipur City Palace you can see a special wheel-chair, a lift and special toilet seat which was imported from London (Oh! the days of luxury). The seat did cost an enormous sum at that point of time. Now, it is one of the proud displays at the city palace Udaipur. To me, it looked more like a luxurious sofa than a toilet seat. However, now I pass the ball to you. You can judge and let me know what you think of it.

It is a luxurious leather chair with a detachable stool below. The stool is also made of leather. The king was short in height. So, the stool was custom made and attached into the original design of the chair to help him step up and sit on the chair comfortably. There is a pull out tray on the side where a water pot can be kept. Quiet stylish..huh!!

City Palace in Udaipur is built over a period of nearly 400 years, with contributions from several rulers of the Mewar dynasty. Construction of Udaipur City Palace began in 1553 which was initiated by Maharana Udai Singh II of the Sisodia Rajput family as he shifted his capital from Chittor to the new found city of Udaipur. Udaipur City palace is located on the east bank of Lake Pichola and has several palaces built within its complex.

Above photograph shows relatively new art around the main door of the section where multiple musical instruments are placed inside Udaipur City Palace. The art shows Ma Saraswati in the middle and a man/woman praying in front of her. There is also a lamp in front of Ma Saraswati painting.

Above photograph shows the part of Udaipur City Palace where royal family lives. Arvind Singh Mewar along with his family live in the palace you see above. This photograph is clicked through one of the windows where musical instruments are showcases in City palace of Udaipur.

Above photograph shows one of the wooden doors from Udaipur City Palace. This particular door is now put inside a glass box to preserve art and it's colours. There are quite a few such doors which are preserved around the City Palace of Udaipur. While walking around different sections of the Udaipur City Palace you also see lot of kitchen utensils. Some of them are huge.

The City Palace in Udaipur is considered as largest palace in the state of Rajasthan. It was built atop a hill, in a fusion of the Rajasthani and Mughal architectural styles.


This is part of the Udaipur City Palace where different celebrations used to happen. Above photograph shows windows through which guests used to look at the events happening in central area. There are also windows on other 2 sides for King & queen. This section is essentially divan-e-aam area, which is king’s administrative assembly place with his ministers to discuss the most important issues.

In Diwan-e-aam, the king sat in a decorated balcony on the first floor. The balcony extention can be seen in above photograph. This wall is one of the most beautiful walls in Udaipur City Palace. The ministers would sit across him. On the next floor are balconies which were used by the ladies of the royal family to witness the proceedings. This is also the part of Udaipur City palace, which has most intricate mirror works. You will see a beautiful peacock made of all small mirror pieces. Very first photograph of this blogpost is clicked against this wall which has King's balcony on first floor.

TravellingCamera loved clicking photographs of these beautiful windows of Udaipur City Palace. When you look at the City Palace from outside, you realise that the palace has lot of windows and every section has different kinds of art-work. Like in above photograph you see windows with colourful glasses in wooden frame with interesting design on the top. Don't miss those beautiful brass handles on these windows of Udaipur City Palace.

Above photograph shows one of the jharokhas with small space to take out your neck and look outside. Rest of the window is filled with colourful glassed and a frame of cement. While I was in this part of Udaipur City Palace, I was wondering when these blue tiles were added to the palace. They can certainly be old because this kind of work for kitchenware was available, but I forgot to confirm with our guide.


Above photograph shows one of the ceilings inside royal chambers of Udaipur City Palace. These are pretty old arts which are preserved inside the City Palace. Some of the colours fade early so you see some patches and I guess impacted areas are also those which have very fine designs.
 

Udaipur City is visible from City Palace on one side and Lake Pichola is on other side. Above photograph shows a view of Udaipur City from City Palace window.


When you moving between different parts of Udaipur City Palace, you have to go through narrow pathways and all of them have different kinds of jalidaar windows for ventilation. Above photograph shows one of such netted windows. One needs to be careful while walking through these as your head can hit the top, especially when there are steps. So mind your head and you need to be extra careful if your height is more than 5 feet 5 inches.


Look at above photograph carefully and notice bird cages hanging there. These cages were for pigeons of different regions and when king wanted to send a message to a particular region, pigeon from that cage is taken out and that pigeon will take message. I am sure this whole system of sending messages with pigeons must be pretty elaborate and there must be some system to train these pigeons. Wondering how would they ensure that message is reached for sure.


Above photograph shows the scale which used to be the equipment for measuring weight of the king. It's placed in men section of the Palace.


Overall Udaipur City Place is a treasure where you can spend whole day exploring it. I loved the place and wish to go again on my own and without any guide.

Jagdish Temple is one of the most popular temples in Udaipur city and a key landmark around City Palace of Udaipur, Rajasthan. Jagdish temple is one of the important landmarks around Lake Pichola and located around the hustle bustle of handicraft shops around City Palace. Related Blogpost - Beautiful Kumbha Shyam Temple inside Chittor Fort, Rajasthan - A symbol of Meera's love for Krishna and a Brilliant piece of Architecture in India's Largest fort

Rajasthan will be on the top if we start looking at states of India, which have cracked the formula of tourist delight by creating business/employment opportunities. It always impresses me how different places in Rajasthan have developed various tourism activities which are not so common in other states. Rajasthan certainly has an advantage of great heritage which is specially liked by tourists visiting India from different parts of the world. Udaipur is one of the top tourist places in Rajasthan state of India and hence Udaipur city has so many things to explore. Some of them are developed by royal family of Udaipur, tourism departments of Rajasthan but many are also created by local ecosystem & group of entrepreneurs who are good at identifying opportunities or creating experiences which are worth exploring. Are you wondering why I am talking so generically while this blogpost is about Bagore Ki Haveli. I feel that this place is also developed with similar intent to create something for visitors who come to Udaipur to understand rich culture of Rajasthan and it's heritage. This blogpost will share more about Bagore ki Haveli and why this is a place which offers diverse experiences for tourists visiting Udaipur.

After watching so many movies with scenes from ghats of Udaipur lakes and especially Lake Pichola, I was waiting to take a walk around these Ghats. The best part was that we were staying in a hotel around Lal ghat of Lake Pichola - Raj Niwas. This blogpost shares about almost all ghats from Lal Ghat till Ambrai ghat which make a horse shoe kind of shape.

So question arises, how you explore all ghats around Lake Pichola when they are connected. These ghats may not be directly connected but you can always walk through closest streets around the lake to hit these ghats, visit, see around and move on. That's precisely what we did. Related Blogpost - Colourful Doors, Arched Windows and Artistic Ceilings narrating stories of Mewar dynasty through different sections of City Palace in city of lakes Udaipur, Rajasthan

This walk around the ghats of Lake Pichola is not only about exploring the ghats but it offers different kinds of experiences on the way. Related Blogpost - Will you be surprised if I say that World's Second largest wall after Great Wall of China is in India - The Wall around Kumbalgarh Fort of Rajasthan After Lal Ghat we started moving towards Gangaur Ghat which is close to Bagore ki Haveli. The strategy was simple - keep following the left most street and you will hit Bagore ki Haveli. If you ask locals, they will certainly suggest you optimal routes but our intent was to just keep walking around the lake as much as possible and we didn't have specific points in mind. It's just that next ghat we landed in was Gangaur Ghat. Above photograph shows the structure which is on Gangaur Ghat of Lake Pichola in Udaipur and its beautiful architecture. On the left of it, you see Bagore ki Haveli which is one of the popular places in Udaipur to experience cultural activities and now they have a museum as well. Related Blogpost - Walking around the Streets of Heritage City Udaipur in Rajasthan to see some stunning architecture, colourful graffitis, Old Havelis & lot of surprises along the way

Gangaur Ghat and Ambrai Ghat are quite popular ghats for sunset, but is sunset limited to these 2 and if yes, why? Simply the answer is no. Sunset can be enjoyed from many other ghats as well but certainly views change. Related Blogpost - Neelkanth Mahadev Temple inside KumbalGarh Fort, Rajasthan - One of the few active temples inside Second Longest Wall of the World Let's talk about why Ambrai is more special in that case. Ambrai ghat is located so well that it offers 270 degree view of Lake Pichola with Taj hotel very close to this ghat. This is the place which also offers you views of sun going down gradually. As sunset happens you also see City Palace in evening light, which you see only from here or Hanuman Ghat. Although Sunset views of Hanuman ghat are below average. All this makes Ambrai ghat special and you see lot of people here during evening time. Related Blogpost - Kumbhalgarh Fort of Royal Rajasthan - A grand example of Indian defence Architecture within the second Longest Wall in the world

Above photograph shows one of the oldest graffitis and that can be inferred from designs, colour combinations. Some of the modern designs on the streets of Udaipur are more vibrant and chemical based colours. Even these graffitis are created in different decades, but still design patterns have lot of similarities. Related Blogpost - Popular Graffitis of Albuquerque Town in New Mexico, USA

As you walk in Udaipur street you find so many of such beautiful graffitis. Just look at the above art. Isn't it looking like a women in traditional attire trying to manage traffic. She is trying to stop the car to give a way to the men on horse. Related blogpost - Uncountable Sculptures, Stunning Art-Forms & Inspiring Architecture of Beautiful Chicago City, Illinois

There are lot of temples in streets of Udaipur and each temple has such beautiful frescos around them.

Above photograph is clicked outside one of the small temples around streets on Lake Pichola ghats. Horses, Elephants, ladies in colourful dresses & men with pagdi are some of the most common elements of these designs across the streets of Udaipur.

Above graffiti is around Ambrai Ghat of Lake Pichola in Udaipur city of Rajasthan. These are very few of the graffitis from Udaipur and I wish to visit it again to explore more of these graffitis. If you liked this post and found it helpful, I would request you to follow these things when traveling - 1. Manage your waste well and don’t litter. Use dustbins. 2. Tell us if you went to a place and found it hard to locate a dustbin. 3. Avoid water bottles in hills. Usually you get clean water in hills and water bottles create lot of mess in our ecosystem. In plains, refill your bottles with RO at hotel. 4. Say big no to plastic and avoid those unhealthy snacks packed in plastic bags. Rather buy fruits. 5. Don't play loud blaring music in forests or jungle camps. You are a guest in that ecosystem and disturbing the locals (humans and animals) is not polite.

One can plan a day trip from Udaipur to Chittor Fort. Chittorgarh from Udaipur is approx 120 km which takes 2 hrs one side. Please note that day trip means 2 hrs of drive, so personally I would recommend staying around Chittorgarh and give at least full day to Chittor Fort as there is so much to explore and photograph. There can multiple factors to consider as per individual choice to decide day trip to Chittor from Udaipur or stay around the fort. Related Blogpost - A stroll around beautiful Ghats of Lake Pichola - One of the best walks to explore a different Udaipur in Rajasthan

Above photograph is clicked when we were exiting from Zanana Mahal of Rana Kumbha Palace and there are some very interesting facts associated which clearly differentiate zanana mahal from king's palace. Related blogpost - Stunning Graffitis & beautiful Art around the streets inside the city of lakes Udaipur in Rajasthan, India There are stairs going down from Zanana Mahal of Rana Kumbha Palace. Manish (our guide) showed us the place and shared the story associated. Rani along with other women from Zanana mahal used to take those stairs to enter a cave which used to take them to a water pond for morning bath. This water tank is close to the famous Shiva Temple of Chittor Fort. After bath in water pond, queen used to visit Shiva temple before coming back to the Palace. This Shiva temple is also referred in Padmavat bollywood movie. We will do a sperate blogpost on this Shiva temple, water pond and a compound which has the famous Vijay Stambha. Related Blogpost - Light & Sound show at Udaipur City Palace - A decent story-telling around Mewar Dynasty but not to be compared with other Light & Sounds shows in India There is pretty long drive from very first gate of the Chittor Fort till the ticket counter. This road is surrounded by strong walls of Chittor fort. Ticket counter is managed by Archeological Survey of India and now there is also an option to buy the ticket online on ASI website. Although there is a weird thing in Chittor Fort that still want you to queue up and note down your details & hand over a small hand-written slip which is asked during the entry to Padmini Palace. While online ticket works very well in Kumbalgarh Fort and you don't need to queue up again. Related Blogpost - Ancient Surya Narayan Temple of Ranakpur, Rajasthan - A special venue with huge Amphitheatre where Ranakpur Festival takes place

There is no special entry fees for Rana Kumbha Palace. There is only one entry ticket for whole Chittor fort and Rana kumbha Palace is part of that. Entry ticket for Chittor Fort costs you 40rs per adult, while online ticket cost is 35 rs. There is no extra cost for vehicle and best part is that you can take your vehicle inside. Going in a vehicle is must as it's huge and vehicles makes it easy to move between the places of Chittor Fort. We were there during pandemic so comparatively it was less crowded. I can imagine that during peak tourist season, the fort must be crowded and there is a possibility of traffic jam within the fort. Related Blogpost - Will you be surprised if I say that World's Second largest wall after Great Wall of China is in India - The Wall around Kumbalgarh Fort of Rajasthan

You can have a guide at Chittor Fort for approx 650 Rs for whole tour. Guide takes you to different places during your exploration at Chittor Fort. Our Guide was pretty good and Manish is reachable at 9783246246. Recommended if you are visiting Chittor Fort and intend to accompany a guide. If you explore Chittor with Manish, please leave your comments below with experience and let us know if you would want to recommend him to others from Travellingcamera family? Related Blogpost - Walking around the Streets of Heritage City Udaipur in Rajasthan to see some stunning architecture, colourful graffitis, Old Havelis & lot of surprises along the way

Our guide, Manish took us to Rana Kumbha Palace first and gave us a quick tour of this grand palace of Rana Kumbha. Most of it is in ruins and we will learn about why it's in current shape. Related Blogpost - The Grand City Palace of Udaipur - Best place to visit in the City of Lakes to appreciate grandness of Mewar kingdom & well preserved heritage in new-age museums The palace was rebuilt by Maharana Kumbha on a ruined palace which was built in the 734 AD by Bappa Rawal. He was known for his art and cultural patronages in Rajasthan's Mewar dynasty. It is in this palace the Rajput King Maharana Kumbha lived his royal life. The ruined Kumbha Palace is the most massive monument in the fort of Chittor. Related Blogpost - Some of the most stunning sunset views around Lake Pichola & Top places to witness sunset in Udaipur , Rajasthan Rana Kumbha Palace is one the main places to visit inside Chittor Fort and a fine example of Rajput architecture. The palace is a huge structure which is built of sandstone of uneven proportions. The Rana Kumbha palace of Chittorgarh is raised high from a large basement which is in the shape of a rectangle. One of the special things about Rana Kumbha palace is its splendid series of canopied balconies. The entrance to the palace is through two gateways known as Suraj Pol and Tripolia Gate leading further to Suraj Gokhra, Zanana Mahal and Kanwarpada-ka-Mahal in the open courtyard. Related Blogpost - Raj Niwas - Book the whole hotel around Lake Pichola of Udaipur, if you are looking for an accommodation for 3 families with a private party space with stunning panoramic views in City of Lakes The Rana Kumbha Palace is closeby following key places to visit inside Chittor Fort : - Panna Dhai temple - Meerabai temple - Lord Shiva Temple - The Nau Lakha Bandar (nine lakh treasury) building (The royal treasury of Chittor) - Museum - Archeological office - The Singa Chowri temple - Vijaya Stambha Related Blogpost - Evening Light and Sound Show at Kumbalgarh Fort - Something you certainly don't want to miss after sunset, when in this beautiful part of Royal Rajasthan

Rana Kumbha was born in a Hindu Rajput family of Sisodia clan. Rana Kumbha was a son of Rana Mokal Singh of Mewar and his wife Sobhagya Devi. He was the 48th Rana of Mewar and succeeded Rana Mokal Singh in the year 1433 CE as the ruler of Mewar, but most of the stories you hear in Mewar region start with him and his successors. Related Blogpost - Ranakpur Jain Temple in Pali District of Rajasthan || Gorgeous Architecture Inspired by a Divine Vision Chittor fort has several historical palaces, gates, water tanks, temples and two prominent towers with some unique features. Rana Kumbha Palace is very first place you hit after taking entry ticket for the fort. Related Blogpost - Neelkanth Mahadev Temple inside KumbalGarh Fort, Rajasthan - One of the few active temples inside Second Longest Wall of the World

As you enter into the Rana Kumbha Palace of Chittor Fort, you see above structure on your left. This is horse stable to keep horses which were used for royal family members. Related Blogpost - Kumbhalgarh Fort of Royal Rajasthan - A grand example of Indian defence Architecture within the second Longest Wall in the world

The ruins of Rana Kumbha palace have the temple of Lord Shiva, Zanana mahal, Diwan-e -aam, along with a stable for horses we just showed in above photograph. According to the legends, the founder of the city of Udaipur, Maharana Udai Singh was born in Rana Kumbha Palace and his life was saved by his wet nurse Panna Dai, who hid him inside a fruit basket when she sensed that his life is in danger due to ongoing politics inside the Palace. Related Blogpost - Vedi Temple inside KumbalGarh Fort, Rajasthan - 3 Storey Octagonal structure standing strong on 36 pillars around world's second largest wall Rana Kumbha place was once the home of the famous bhakti poetess Meerabai. It is also believed, that Rani Padmini organized her self- immolation or jauhar inside this fort. We shall share these stories in detail when we share about the famous Meerabai temple inside Chittor Fort and Padmini palace along with the water body. Related Blogpost - Hamerpal Lake - A place which needs serious reconsideration by everyone visiting Kumbalgarh & Rajasthan Tourism for conservation of it's great natural ecosystem The Chittor fort is build with stones which are plastered and have some exquisitely design canopied balconies. Related Blogpost - Tour de Churu Streets having grand havelis with marvelous fresco paintings | Haveli Heritage Tour Rajasthan, India

Above photograph shows the outside view of Rana Kumbha Palace at Chittor Fort and this is a view from main road which connects this palace with entry gate of the fort. Related Blogpost - Badal Mahal in Rajasthan - A brilliant palace inside Kumbalgarh Fort for Panoramic Views of the mountains surrounding second largest wall of the world The Chittor Fort is the largest fort in India and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which is located on a huge hill with plains all around the fort. This geographical advantage makes this fort very special in Rajasthan as well as India.

All photographs in this blogpost are clicked with Mobile camera inside Rana Kumbha Palace. We shall other important monuments of Chittor Fort in separate posts and at the end, we will share a combined blogpost focussing on Chittor Fort - how to reach, where to stay, how to plan time inside Chittor fort, things to skip or to be aware about. If you liked this post and found it helpful, I would request you to follow these things when traveling - 1. Manage your waste well and don’t litter. Use dustbins. 2. Tell us if you went to a place and found it hard to locate a dustbin. 3. Avoid water bottles in hills. Usually you get clean water in hills and water bottles create lot of mess in our ecosystem. In plains, refill your bottles with RO at hotel. 4. Say big no to plastic and avoid those unhealthy snacks packed in plastic bags. Rather buy fruits. 5. Don't play loud blaring music in forests or jungle camps. You are a guest in that ecosystem and disturbing the locals (humans and animals) is not polite.

One place which has very unusual stories associated with it inside Chittor Fort is Kumbha Shyam Temple which is also known as temple dedicated to Meerabai. While exploring Chittor Fort, one can park the car close to this temple and take a round. This compound has a huge temple which is dedicated to Meerabai and another one is for her guru. In this blogpost we will what makes this place special and why it's worth taking a halt while exploring India's largest fort in Chittorgarh of Rajasthan. Related Blogpost - Ranakpur Jain Temple in Pali District of Rajasthan || Gorgeous Architecture Inspired by a Divine Vision

Related Blogpost - Neelkanth Mahadev Temple inside KumbalGarh Fort, Rajasthan - One of the few active temples inside Second Longest Wall of the World There is no specific entry ticket for Meerbai temple and you get entry as well as parking on ticket main ticket for Chittor Fort. Timings of temple are also same as that of other places inside Chittor fort : 9:45am till 6pm. Related Blogpost - Great example of Rajput Architecture & Ruins of Rana Kumbha Palace inside unique UNESCO World Heritage site and India's largest fort in Chittorgarh, Rajasthan In 1516 Crown Prince Bhoj, who was son of Maharana Sangram Singh-I married the princess Meera Bai of Merta. It seems when Meera came to Chittor, she requested for a small Krishna Temple for her personal use. Her father-in-law, Maharana Samgram Singh-1 built this Temple adjoining Kumbh Temple, which was named as Kumbha Shyam Temple. Meera continued her devotions to Lord Krishna and used her wealth to help feed religious pilgrims and the needy, around this part. Related Blogpost - Badal Mahal in Rajasthan - A brilliant palace inside Kumbalgarh Fort for Panoramic Views of the mountains surrounding second largest wall of the world

Above photograph is clicked from left side of entry gate of the temple. There are lot of Langoors around the temple, so please ensure that you are not carrying eatables with you and be aware of other stuff you have while walking around the temple. Related Blogpost - Evening Light and Sound Show at Kumbalgarh Fort - Something you certainly don't want to miss after sunset, when in this beautiful part of Royal Rajasthan Above photograph shows a small temple on the left and a small Chhatri in the Temple built in memory of Meera's saintly guru Swami Ravidas of Varanasi. The saint's footprints are marked on the floor of this small shrine. Related Blogpost - Tour de Churu Streets having grand havelis with marvelous fresco paintings | Haveli Heritage Tour Rajasthan, India

You can spend lot of time exploring these sculptures around the temple and not only the temple but whole Chittor Fort is full of these, although many of them got destroyed over decades. Related Blogpost - Kumbhalgarh Fort of Royal Rajasthan - A grand example of Indian defence Architecture within the second Longest Wall in the world This temple is built in Indo Aryan style and has a flavour of Rajput Architecture. The temple has a unique pyramid like roof with a high tower. The temple is placed on an elevated platform. The sculptures of various Hindu Gods and Goddesses be seen inside the temple. Similar sculptures can be seen on outer walls of the temple. There are sculptures of 8 rulers of the land on the walls of Kumbha Shyam temple. The image of Garuda stands under the canopy facing the temple. Related Blogpost - Hamerpal Lake - A place which needs serious reconsideration by everyone visiting Kumbalgarh & Rajasthan Tourism for conservation of it's great natural ecosystem

We certainly recommend to take a stop at Meera temple when exploring Chittor Fort in Rajasthan. Related Blogpost - Vedi Temple inside KumbalGarh Fort, Rajasthan - 3 Storey Octagonal structure standing strong on 36 pillars around world's second largest wall If you liked this post and found it helpful, I would request you to follow these things when traveling - 1. Manage your waste well and don’t litter. Use dustbins. 2. Tell us if you went to a place and found it hard to locate a dustbin. 3. Avoid water bottles in hills. Usually you get clean water in hills and water bottles create lot of mess in our ecosystem. In plains, refill your bottles with RO at hotel. 4. Say big no to plastic and avoid those unhealthy snacks packed in plastic bags. Rather buy fruits. 5. Don't play loud blaring music in forests or jungle camps. You are a guest in that ecosystem and disturbing the locals (humans and animals) is not polite.

Related Blogpost - Great example of Rajput Architecture & Ruins of Rana Kumbha Palace inside unique UNESCO World Heritage site and India's largest fort in Chittorgarh, Rajasthan After parking your car, you walk through an entry gate where your ticket is checked. There is no special ticket for Vijaya Stambha and the entry ticket for Chittor fort works here as well. Above photograph shows the view of Vijaya Stambha just after entering through the gate. There is a small walk from gate till the tower and more structures come on the way. Related Blogpost - Badal Mahal in Rajasthan - A brilliant palace inside Kumbalgarh Fort for Panoramic Views of the mountains surrounding second largest wall of the world There is no special entry fees for Vijay Stambha or Shiva temple. There is only one entry ticket for whole Chittor fort and everything inside the fort is part of that. Entry ticket for Chittor Fort costs you 40rs per adult, while online ticket cost is 35 rs. There is no extra cost for vehicle and best part is that you can take your vehicle inside. Going in a vehicle is must as it's huge and vehicles makes it easy to move between the places of Chittor Fort. We were there during pandemic so comparatively it was less crowded. I can imagine that during peak tourist season, the fort must be crowded and there is a possibility of traffic jam within the fort. Related Blogpost - Tour de Churu Streets having grand havelis with marvelous fresco paintings | Haveli Heritage Tour Rajasthan, India

As you can see in above photograph, the Vijaya Stambha ( Victory Tower ) is pretty high and one of the most interesting structures inside Chittor Fort of Rajasthan. Related Blogpost - Hamerpal Lake - A place which needs serious reconsideration by everyone visiting Kumbalgarh & Rajasthan Tourism for conservation of it's great natural ecosystem

While exploring Vijaya Stambha or Chittor Fort, you will encounter lot of langoors all around. They usually don't disturb you unless they feel threatened. Having said that, please be careful and be aware of your surroundings. Try not to carry stuff to eat in your hands, as that can be tempting for them to pay attention to you :). Above photograph is clicked around entry gate for Vijaya Stambha in Chittor Fort. All photographs in this blogpost are clicked with phone camera.

Vijaya Stambha compound also has that popular Shiva temple which is also shown in Bollywood movie Padmawat. This Shiva temple is still active and queen of the Chittor used to visit Shiva temple everyday after taking bath in nearby water tank. This Water tank is visible from Shiva temple boundary. This place also offers panoramic views of Chittor town in the valley.

Vijaya Stambha has 9 stories accessed through a narrow circular staircase of 157 steps up till 8th floor, from where there is good view of the plains and the new town of Chittor. Since we visited during pandemic, we were not allowed to climb up otherwise these stairs are open for tourists. The dome of Vijaya Stambha in Chittor Fort was a later addition, was damaged by lightning and repaired during the 19th century. The Vijay Stamba is now illuminated during the evenings and gives a beautiful view of Chittor from the top. Related Blogpost - Walking around the Streets of Heritage City Udaipur in Rajasthan to see some stunning architecture, colourful graffitis, Old Havelis & lot of surprises along the way

Related Blogpost - Ancient Surya Narayan Temple of Ranakpur, Rajasthan - A special venue with huge Amphitheatre where Ranakpur Festival takes place This Tower of Victory or Jaya Stambha, called the symbol of Chittor and a particularly bold expression of triumph to celebrate Rana Kumbha's victory over Mahmud Shah I Khalji, the Sultan of Malwa. Vijay Stambha was supposedly built over a period of 10 years and it's approx 37 metres high, over a 47 square feet base. Vijaya Stambha has been one of the most special monument for me to explore in Chittor Fort, although I wish to go again and climb up those circular stairs inside it. Related Blogpost - Will you be surprised if I say that World's Second largest wall after Great Wall of China is in India - The Wall around Kumbalgarh Fort of Rajasthan If you liked this post and found it helpful, I would request you to follow these things when traveling - 1. Manage your waste well and don’t litter. Use dustbins. 2. Tell us if you went to a place and found it hard to locate a dustbin. 3. Avoid water bottles in hills. Usually you get clean water in hills and water bottles create lot of mess in our ecosystem. In plains, refill your bottles with RO at hotel. 4. Say big no to plastic and avoid those unhealthy snacks packed in plastic bags. Rather buy fruits. 5. Don't play loud blaring music in forests or jungle camps. You are a guest in that ecosystem and disturbing the locals (humans and animals) is not polite.

Above photograph shows The water reservoir close to the Shiva temple of Chittor which is known as Gaumukha Tirthasthala. If you remember we had shared about this reservoir, temple and zanana mahal in Rana Kumbha Palace blogpost. Related Blogpost - Tour de Churu Streets having grand havelis with marvelous fresco paintings | Haveli Heritage Tour Rajasthan, India

During our visit to Chittor Fort in Rajasthan, we came across different narrations of Rani Padmavati. That made me realised that why there were so many controversies during the release of bollywood movie Padmavati which was later renamed to 'Padmavat'. There is Padmini Palace inside Chittor Fort and this blogpost will share about this palace, stories associated and then some interesting details around which story to believe in.

Related Blogpost - Beautiful Kumbha Shyam Temple inside Chittor Fort, Rajasthan - A symbol of Meera's love for Krishna and a Brilliant piece of Architecture in India's Largest fort Above photograph shows this three storied white building, which is located in the southern part of the fort. Padmini Palace is surrounded by water bodies and there is a huge palace compound on other side of this water body. It seems Padmini used to use a boat to come to main palace from her palace surrounded by water body. Related Blogpost - Neelkanth Mahadev Temple inside KumbalGarh Fort, Rajasthan - One of the few active temples inside Second Longest Wall of the World Padimini Palace which is surrounded by water body is the place where Alauddin was permitted to see the mirror image of Rani Padmini. It is widely believed that Alauddin was obsessed by the beauty of Rani Padmini, even by looking briefly at the mirror. That triggered Allaudin to have a desire to win Rani Padmini and he got convinced to destroy Chittor. In the battle, Maharana Rattan Singh was killed and Rani Padmini committed Jauhar. Related Blogpost - Badal Mahal in Rajasthan - A brilliant palace inside Kumbalgarh Fort for Panoramic Views of the mountains surrounding second largest wall of the world When our guide at Chittor was narrating the story of Rani Padmavati, he shared about her roots in Shrilanka but it seems that's debated till date. In his narration, he glamourised Jauhar and also shared other stories when thousands of ladies of Chittor did Jauhar. There is a huge jauhar area close to the famous Shiva Temple and Vijay Stambha of Chittor Fort. Related Blogpost - Evening Light and Sound Show at Kumbalgarh Fort - Something you certainly don't want to miss after sunset, when in this beautiful part of Royal Rajasthan

Vijaya Stambha, a beautiful tower was constructed by the Mewar king, Rana Kumbha, in 1448 to commemorate his victory over the combined armies of Malwa and Gujarat led by Mahmud Khilji. The tower is dedicated to Vishnu. Our Guide Manish also mentioned that each floor of the tower has symbols from different religions in the world and that has also saved this tower till date. Supposedly the fort and various parts of the fort were destructed but Vijaya Stambha was not touched. The Vijaya Stambha is a remarkable example of religious pluralism practised by the Rajputs. The topmost storey features an image of the Jain Goddess, Padmavati. Just look at above photograph again to appreciate carvings on Vijaya Stambha and it's full of these from bottom till top. Related Blogpost - Neelkanth Mahadev Temple inside KumbalGarh Fort, Rajasthan - One of the few active temples inside Second Longest Wall of the World The inscribed slabs in the uppermost storey containing a detailed genealogy of the rulers of Chittaur and their deeds are ascribed to Ran Kumbha court scholar, Atri and his son Mahesh. The names of the architect, Sutradhar Jaita and his three sons who assisted him, Napa, Puja, and Poma are also carved on the fifth floor of the tower. Related Blogpost - Ranakpur Jain Temple in Pali District of Rajasthan || Gorgeous Architecture Inspired by a Divine Vision

When we were visiting Kumbhalgarh town of Rajasthan, we drove nearly 50 kms to see the famous Ranakpur Jain Temple. 50 kms may sound less, but the terrain is such that it may take almost two hours to reach and certainly depending upon your driving style. However, the route takes you through rural Rajasthan and is quite interesting to observe. And of course if you are travelling with interesting people, that makes all the difference. There is very specific purpose of today's blogpost. During our 8 days long Rajasthan trip, ceilings of Ranakpur temple impressed the travellingcamera most because of different reasons. Let's continue this Photo Journey and know more about Ranakpur Temples, it's beautiful ceilings and wonderful architecture. Related Blogpost - Beautiful Kumbha Shyam Temple inside Chittor Fort, Rajasthan - A symbol of Meera's love for Krishna and a Brilliant piece of Architecture in India's Largest fort

By the time we reached the Ranakpur temple, it was almost noon, later than we had planned. But that turned out to be a good thing, because apparently the temple is open only for Jain pilgrims till noon and for rest of the tourists post that till 5pm. The crowd was very thin, mostly owing to the pandemic I think. After a quick restroom break and after removing all leather items from our persons, we headed off to the main temple. Related Blogpost - Vedi Temple inside KumbalGarh Fort, Rajasthan - 3 Storey Octagonal structure standing strong on 36 pillars around world's second largest wall This is one temple but huge complex of connected temples and each temple has wonderful deign on it's ceiling. Closely look at each photograph and intricate designs. It was so impressive and especially when you think when this temple was built. Centuries old temple having some intricate designs is a huge compliment for the architects and designers who worked build these masterpieces. Related Blogpost - Hamerpal Lake - A place which needs serious reconsideration by everyone visiting Kumbalgarh & Rajasthan Tourism for conservation of it's great natural ecosystem

While walking around Ranakpur Jain Temples, one of the pujaris accompanied us and told stories associated with each part of the temple. He also shared about some of the ceilings we are sharing in this blogpost. Unfortunately, I don't remember all details clearly and decided not to share partial/wrong details. If you know about these ceilings, please help us with information in the comments section below. Related Blogpost - Kumbhalgarh Fort of Royal Rajasthan - A grand example of Indian defence Architecture within the second Longest Wall in the world

Above photograph shows different sections of the ceiling around main dome of the temples in Ranakpur. And not only carving of main ceiling, but look at the pillars and the smaller portions of the ceiling. So very well done and very symmetrical as well. Related Blogpost - Tour de Churu Streets having grand havelis with marvelous fresco paintings | Haveli Heritage Tour Rajasthan, India


Above photograph is clicked around one part of the temple which was not completed. There is some interesting story associated about why it was not completed and it reflects some ego clashes between king of that time & divine powers. This photograph shows the roof through incomplete structure providing frame for the ceiling in this photograph. Related Blogpost - Evening Light and Sound Show at Kumbalgarh Fort - Something you certainly don't want to miss after sunset, when in this beautiful part of Royal Rajasthan

Ranakpur Jain Temple in Pali District of Rajasthan || Gorgeous Architecture Inspired by a Divine Vision

Ranakpur Jain Temple in Pali District of Rajasthan || Gorgeous Architecture Inspired by a Divine Vision

Ranakpur Jain Temple in Pali District of Rajasthan || Gorgeous Architecture Inspired by a Divine Vision
Ranakpur Jain Temple in Pali District of Rajasthan || Gorgeous Architecture Inspired by a Divine Vision

Ranakpur Jain Temple in Pali District of Rajasthan || Gorgeous Architecture Inspired by a Divine Vision

Ranakpur Jain Temple in Pali District of Rajasthan || Gorgeous Architecture Inspired by a Divine Vision

Ranakpur Jain Temple in Pali District of Rajasthan || Gorgeous Architecture Inspired by a Divine Vision
 
Ranakpur Jain Temple in Pali District of Rajasthan || Gorgeous Architecture Inspired by a Divine Vision
 

Ranakpur Jain Temple in Pali District of Rajasthan || Gorgeous Architecture Inspired by a Divine Vision
 

Ranakpur Jain Temple in Pali District of Rajasthan || Gorgeous Architecture Inspired by a Divine Vision

Ranakpur Jain Temple in Pali District of Rajasthan || Gorgeous Architecture Inspired by a Divine Vision

Ranakpur Jain Temple in Pali District of Rajasthan || Gorgeous Architecture Inspired by a Divine Vision
Related Blogpost - Neelkanth Mahadev Temple inside KumbalGarh Fort, Rajasthan - One of the few active temples inside Second Longest Wall of the World There is no specific entry ticket for Meerbai temple and you get entry as well as parking on ticket main ticket for Chittor Fort. Timings of temple are also same as that of other places inside Chittor fort : 9:45am till 6pm. Related Blogpost - Great example of Rajput Architecture & Ruins of Rana Kumbha Palace inside unique UNESCO World Heritage site and India's largest fort in Chittorgarh, Rajasthan In 1516 Crown Prince Bhoj, who was son of Maharana Sangram Singh-I married the princess Meera Bai of Merta. It seems when Meera came to Chittor, she requested for a small Krishna Temple for her personal use. Her father-in-law, Maharana Samgram Singh-1 built this Temple adjoining Kumbh Temple, which was named as Kumbha Shyam Temple. Meera continued her devotions to Lord Krishna and used her wealth to help feed religious pilgrims and the needy, around this part. Related Blogpost - Badal Mahal in Rajasthan - A brilliant palace inside Kumbalgarh Fort for Panoramic Views of the mountains surrounding second largest wall of the world

We certainly recommend to take a stop at Meera temple when exploring Chittor Fort in Rajasthan. Related Blogpost - Vedi Temple inside KumbalGarh Fort, Rajasthan - 3 Storey Octagonal structure standing strong on 36 pillars around world's second largest wall If you liked this post and found it helpful, I would request you to follow these things when traveling - 1. Manage your waste well and don’t litter. Use dustbins. 2. Tell us if you went to a place and found it hard to locate a dustbin. 3. Avoid water bottles in hills. Usually you get clean water in hills and water bottles create lot of mess in our ecosystem. In plains, refill your bottles with RO at hotel. 4. Say big no to plastic and avoid those unhealthy snacks packed in plastic bags. Rather buy fruits. 5. Don't play loud blaring music in forests or jungle camps. You are a guest in that ecosystem and disturbing the locals (humans and animals) is not polite.

We reached Pune from Delhi and headed towards Baramati via Taxi. It was a cool drive through countryside full of grape & sugarcane farms all around. This was harvest season of grapes as well as sugarcane, so lot of activities were happening along the road. There is a highway which connects Pune to Baramati, but to save time our driver Mr Kamrudin took a different route which was very scenic. After a drive of 2 hrs, we reached the vineyard which is not exactly in Baramati town, but located 30 kilometers from the main town. Four Seasons Vineyard is spread over 55 acres of land with a beautiful winery in the middle of it. Related Blogpost - A visit to UB's Four Seasons Vineyard in Baramati, Maharashtra, India

In this winery, wines are made from grapes grown in Sahyadri valley of Maharashtra State in India. This Four Seasons Winery is located at ~65 kilometers from Pune and ~30 kilometers from Baramati.

During night, this campus looks awesome. I should admit that I could not do justice to the beauty of the place and I also have series of excuses ready with me :) . Anyways, I will not discuss them here but want to share the fact that night photographs are shot by using a plastic table as tripod :). I forgot take my tripod with me.

Thanks to Four Seasons Team for wonderful stay at the Vineyard and to all the bloggers for great company.

Rana Kumbha was born in a Hindu Rajput family of Sisodia clan. Rana Kumbha was a son of Rana Mokal Singh of Mewar and his wife Sobhagya Devi. He was the 48th Rana of Mewar and succeeded Rana Mokal Singh in the year 1433 CE as the ruler of Mewar, but most of the stories you hear in Mewar region start with him and his successors. Related Blogpost - Ranakpur Jain Temple in Pali District of Rajasthan || Gorgeous Architecture Inspired by a Divine Vision Chittor fort has several historical palaces, gates, water tanks, temples and two prominent towers with some unique features. Rana Kumbha Palace is very first place you hit after taking entry ticket for the fort. Related Blogpost - Neelkanth Mahadev Temple inside KumbalGarh Fort, Rajasthan - One of the few active temples inside Second Longest Wall of the World

This photograph shows beautiful ceiling with colourful painted designs. There were many such beautiful ceilings which I couldn't click because everyone had to follow a particular route to explore the palace and some of the spaces were restricted. Which made it hard to click them well. I clicked photographs but didn't come well, so not sharing in this blogpost.

Recently we have been sharing about Kubhalgarh Fort of Rajasthan and it's impossible to conclude the series without talking about the stunning light & sound show. Can I claim if this is one of the best light & sound shows in India? You will explore about that in this blogpost. How is this light & sound show of Kumbhalgarh Fort in comparison to other shows which happen in Rajasthan like - Light & Sound show at Chittorgarh or City Palace of Udaipur etc? You may also find about that when you go through the blogpost.

While we will be talking about Kumbhalgarh in greater details, this post is dedicated to the Kumbhalgarh fort, a massive invincible structure that has withstood several sieges, conspiracies, and most importantly, the test of time. As you move closer to the fort, its bulbous watch towers confirm the stories that you have heard so far - that it was impossible to scale these walls and get past these gates, making the kingdom within practically impenetrable.

Kumbhalgarh is a Mewar fort around Aravalli mountain ranges and it's located in Rajsamand district of Rajasthan state in India. Kumbhalgarh Fort is a World Heritage Site included in Hill Forts of Rajasthan. This fort is built during 15th century by Rana Kumbha. Kumbalgarh town, where fort is located is 82 km from Udaipur city by road. It was the most important fort in Mewar after Chittorgarh Fort.

Above photograph shows beautifully lit Neelkanth Mahadev temple inside Kumbhalgarh Fort of Rajasthan. The Light & Sound show mainly describes the Mewar from Rana Kumbha to Maharana Pratap and the attacks of invaders like Gajni, Akbar on Kumbhalgarh Fort. This show also describes the war of Haldighati and efforts of Maharana Pratap to make Mewar free from Mughals.

Certainly we know about the largest wall of the world is The Great Wall of China but want to start this blogpost with a question and please share your answer in the comment section below. Did you ever thought about second largest wall of the World? And if you thought about it, when did you figure out that World's second largest wall is grand wall of Kumbhalgarh Fort in Rajashan. So drop a comment below with year/day when you found out that India's largest wall is world's second largest wall which comes after the great wall of China. This blogpost shares more about the wall of Kumbhalgarh Fort. The very first photograph of this blogpost shows the view of the wall of Kumbhalgarh fort from a the road which connects town with main entry gate of the fort. This photograph is taken from nearby parking area of Kumbhalgarh Fort in Rajasthan.


Above photograph shows Vedi temple and Neelkanth temple inside Kumbhalgarh fort. On the right side of the photograph you see pretty wide wall of Kumbhalgarh fort and extends along the mountain. This wall of Kumbhalgarh Fort is 36 kilometers long around Arawali mountain ranges. As you climb towards Badal Mahal from main entry gate of the fort, you see it at distance as a small black line. The wall is clearly visible during monsoons when it create nice contrast with green mountains of Arawalis.

Above photograph shows some of my friends walking on the outer wall of Kumbhalgarh fort while going up towards Badal Mahal, which you see on the topmost part of the photograph. The width of Kumbhalgarh fort wall is 15 feet.
As per the plan for my future trip to Kumbhalgarh Fort, I also plan to walk on this wall along with exploring 300+ temples of Kumbhalgarh fort. Let's see how it goes.
When in Ranakpur of Rajasthan to explore the famous Jain temples, this beautiful temple deserves a stop. This Sun temple of Ranakpur is older than the huge Jain temple close by and there are many other reasons to not miss this gem. A visit to Ranakpur Jain temple can be overwhelming in many ways and there is so much to explore & appreciate when it comes to architecture. That experience of Ranakpur Jain temple may make you feel that this temple is very small, but still worth exploring because of many reasons. This blogpost will share more about Sun Temple in Ranakpur, why it's special and worth a visit.


Like other Sun temples, Ranakpur Sun temple is facing to the east direction and in this Surya Temple, the Lord Sun idol is shown as riding his chariot. Ranakpur Sun Temple wall has beautiful carvings of warriors, horses, and celestial bodies which represent the artistic excellence of the people of that time. This sun temple in Rajasthan has an octagonal mandap before the sanctum. Sun Narayan temple is visited by many devotees as well as tourists from all around the country. Many devotees also visit the nearby temple of Amba Mata. This Sun temple in Ranakpur is managed by the Eklingji Trust. Eklingji trust was created in 1955 by the late Maharana Shri Bhupal Singh of Mewar (Udaipur) with the aim of continuing the worship and taking care of the famous and historic Eklingji Temple and other temples of Mewar.
A-mazed by Kumbha Palace surrounded by World's second largest wall - A beautiful example of Rajput Architecture inside Kumbalgarh Fort of Royal Rajasthan

Above photograph shows horse stable near Kumbha Palace, which seemed to be renovated now. This whole space around Kumbha Palace seem to be pretty active given it's surrounded by a stable, jail and temple. Kumbha Palace is one of the main places to explore inside Kubhalgarh Fort and certainly special. Please do share your suggestions/inputs through comments section below.

You are allowed to go up till top of the Zanana Mahal and it offers great panoramic views of the fort. While doing so, you can also see a few of the temples at distance. This was the time, when I was missing my binoculars. We recommend carrying a pair of binoculars when you visit Kumbalgarh Fort in Rajasthan.

However, since they aren't registered guides, they will not be able to enter the Palace, so they will leave you at the gate after showing you the temples and the watch tower. Also these children will run through a script that they have memorized, but won't be able to answer any questions that you may have about the history of the place and So you should make a judgement call based on what you prefer.

These are all beautiful structures and out of all these temples, pooja is still performed in the Neelkanth Mahadev temple.

From the Devi Temple and Ganesh Temple Complex, you can climb up to the wall of the fort. You can then walk all the way to the ramp leading up to the Kumbha Palace. You realize the sheer size of the structure once you make it up to the wall, and what a mammoth task it must have been to build this fortress using mostly rocks. The wall is indeed wide enough to allow 6 (if not 8, as legend claims) full-grown Mewari horses to walk abreast. From the wall, you can also take in the surrounding wilderness and the Kumbhalgarh town.

In total, there are 3 such gates that you need to cross and after that you reach the baodi and the birth place of Maharana Pratap. When we visited Kumbhalgarh, this structure was closed temporarily, so we headed up to Badal Mahal, which is a two-storied structure that offering the best view of the surroundings. However, it is very scary to walk up to the tallest part and look down. Not only is the structure really tall, the boundary and railings do not give you any confidence in their sturdiness. Since we had little children with us, we headed down immediately.

If you have done any hiking inside Kumbalgarh Fort, please drop more details and suggestions through comments section below.

Now that Rajasthan has reopened for tourism, it was a natural choice for us when it came to planning our first trip post lockdown. We knew it would be challenging, we knew it would be restrictive and we knew that we would need to take precautions and be responsible at every step. So, armed with masks and sanitizers, we headed off to Kumbhalgarh, which was going to be our first stop in Rajasthan.

Badal Mahal of Kumbalgarh Fort has paintings with pastel colored murals from 19th century. Palace rooms have turquoise, green and white color schemes on its wall.

Badal Mahal is the highest point inside the Kumbhalgarh Fort and above photograph shows some part of it from the path which connects Badal Mahal with Vedi temple inside the fort. In english Badal Mahal means - Palace of Clouds. Badal Mahal is a 2 storey palace inside Kumbalgarh Fort of Rajasthan. Mahal is pretty big building which has two interconnected mahals called the Mardana Mahal (King's palace) and the Zanana Mahal (queen's palace). Badal Mahal of Kumbalgarh Fort has paintings with pastel colored murals from 19th century. Palace rooms have turquoise, green and white color schemes on its wall.

Badal Mahal in Rajasthan - A brilliant palace inside Kumbalgarh Fort for Panoramic Views of the mountains surrounding second largest wall of the world

Above photograph shows series of doors with beautiful arches and this is part of mardana mahal. The door on other end connects the mahal with main entry area and the space in between used to be the part where king would address his ministers & invited public.

You can also go to the top of the Badal mahal but it's not for faint hearted people. The path on the top is very narrow and since it's an old structure, if you see all that seriously you may come back. While this is probably the best & topmost part of the Kumbalgarh fort to enjoy panoramic views. I couldn't gain courage to walk on the roof and rather clicked a few photographs from one spot near stairs and came back. Very first photograph in this post is clicked at the top of Badal Mahal inside Kumbalgarh fort of Rajasthan.

Above photograph shows one of the doors around stairs connecting base of the Badal Mahal to the roof-top. Overall we had good time exploring Badal Mahal at Kumbalgarh Fort. We shall a separate post about doors, ceilings windows and other interesting elements of Badal Mahal, which tell beautiful stories from history of Mewar.


While walking around the Hammerpal lake in Kumbalgarh, we also noticed an old Pertian Wheel around one of the sides of the lake. Hammerpal lake is pretty big. The Persian wheel is a mechanical water lifting system operated usually by animals like bullocks, buffaloes or camels. Pertian wheel used to lift water from water sources typically open wells, water ponds or artificial lakes. In Sanskrit, the word Araghatta has been used in the ancient texts to describe the Persian Wheel.

Experience at Fatehpur Sikri : So as we got down from the highway which connects Bharatpur with Fatehpur Sikri, after a short drive, few well dressed folks with some sort of badges around the neck indicated to stop the car. These folks were standing close to a parking area just close to the old gate of Fatehpur Sikri Palace. We thought of these guys as authority people who want to help us park the car. As we stopped, we were told that Petrol/Diesel cars can't go beyond the gate so we need to park the car outside and walk or take CNG auto-rickshaw to go ahead. CNG vehicles close to Palace sounded pretty reasonable and then the guy explained us about different costs for the visit : 50 Rs entry ticket for each person, 100 Rs parking fees, 10 rs for shoes when we visit the place with Dargah and 200 Rs for pick & drop in an auto-rickshaw. And he would accompany us a guide is needed. He sold whole package to us in 650 Rs for 2 (me and my wife). We parked the car, and sat in the auto-rickshaw. We met another guide recommended by this person who took us to Jama Mosque where we had to take off the shoes. It's a huge campus with Jama Masjid, Buland Darwaza, Tomb of Salim Chishti etc. He showed us these places pretty well and along with that took us to different shops inside this campus where he wanted us to explore and buy stuff. That behaviour didn't sound right to me while Vibha was little interested in to knowing what these shops are selling and certainly they had some nice creations of marble. We didn't buy anything because of unreasonable pricing. Then he took us to a man selling sheets which are presented at Dargah and the man started telling us weird stories around how this shop helps poor etc. The costs ranged from 1100 to 11000. Certainly I didn't buy his stories and denied to buy anything. At the end he was selling me flowers which I would have bought but that personality repelled me to talk to him any further.

Learnings and Tips while visiting to Fatehpur Sikri in Uttar Pradesh state of India : If you are driving, chose to park your car in public parking where nobody would stop you at the road side or anything like that. Whole area is easily walkable if you want to explore Jama Masjid, Buland Darwaza, Chishti Dargah and the Palace with various other structures at same place. There are ADA buses running between these touristy places which can be used by anybody who wants to explore the city and its gems. (At a very nominal ticket fee of 10 rs) Do certainly read before hand and have a clear list of things you want to do and also consult map to figure how you want to sequence these places. Always recommend govt approved guides over others who catch you on the streets. Even then, be very clear about their fees and is that time dependent or not etc. Avoid buying stuff from Hawkers inside and on the gate of these monuments, unless you seriously liked something. (This is more for avoiding the feel of cheating later on)


Ranakpur Jain Temple in Pali District of Rajasthan || Gorgeous Architecture Inspired by a Divine Vision

Ranakpur Jain Temple in Pali District of Rajasthan || Gorgeous Architecture Inspired by a Divine Vision

Ranakpur Jain Temple in Pali District of Rajasthan || Gorgeous Architecture Inspired by a Divine Vision

Ranakpur Jain Temple in Pali District of Rajasthan || Gorgeous Architecture Inspired by a Divine Vision

Ranakpur Jain Temple in Pali District of Rajasthan || Gorgeous Architecture Inspired by a Divine Vision

Ranakpur Jain Temple in Pali District of Rajasthan || Gorgeous Architecture Inspired by a Divine Vision

Above photograph shows one of the biggest Stepwells of India. Notice those 2 tiny human bodies on upper part of the photograph. That will give you a sense about the size & depth of this stepwell in Hampi. The sacred tanks were related to various rituals and functional aspects of the temples and the communities surrounding these temples. The tanks were considered to be sacred places by the people of Hampi in the ancient times. The pushkaranis in Hampi town are a part of the ancient planning and architecture. Many of the pushkaranis were built during the time of the Vijayanagara Empire, which are now preserved as part of World Heritage site. The water tanks related to the temples were used to serve the ritualistic purposes of those temples by communities around this area and who used to visit these temples because of faith. Related blogpost - Hampi Travel Guide : How to reach, Where to Stay & Things to do ! There are some water tanks in Hampi which are not related to the temples. Some of the water tanks are situated within the Royal enclosures and they were built for the use of the members of the royal family of Vijayanagara. There were a few large public water tanks as well that were for use of the general people. So water tanks you find today in Hampi belong to these 3 major categories - ritualistic purposes, for royal family and for public. Architecture of these also vary, especially one can see significant difference in royal water tanks in terms of architecture, safety and grandeur.

These huge water tanks (stepwells) have large stone steps that used to help people to go down and fetch water easily. The water tanks are connected to an extensive network of stone structures & canals. The more you know about it, more it surprises you and you wonder how detailed this whole planning was in ancient times. These water channels were used to provide the tanks with fresh water from the Tungabhadra River. Some of these water channels are functional even today, although I couldn't see any evidences around tanks I saw during my visit to Hampi. There are lot of stepwells in Rajasthan and Gujrat states of India, but these stepwells of Hampi are different in many ways. I didn't see much cravings around stepwells of Hampi while stepwells of Gujrat & Rajasthan are super rich in terms of carvings & fine designs. It seems there are multiple Water tanks in Hampi. The photographs you see in this post are of Stepwell inside royal enclosure. The others are close to Virupaksha temple, Vittala temple, Pattabhirama temple, Krishna Bazaar, Achyuta Raya Temple etc. Related Blogspot - 5th Day on the Golden Chariot - The Luxury Train through Hampi in Karnataka State of India Many of the water tanks in Hampi are in a ruined condition. Only a few pushkaranis can be seen in a functional state. Some of the water tanks are dry places that have remained without water for a long time now. A few among the water tanks are still full of clear water. In ancient times, pushkaranis were an integral part of the lives of the people of Hampi. I was so happy to find these stepwells in Hampi and would love to go back & explore al stepwells of Hampi by spending good amount of time there.

The photograph above shows Kalpa village. We were staying in one of the hotels on top hill from where village was clearly visible. Some of the main places to explore in Kalpa are - - Trekking to Chakka, - Kinner Kailash Views, - Suicide point near Roghi village, - Narayan-Nagini temple, - Hu-bu-lan-kar monastery, - Sapni Fort - & walks around the woods.

Above photograph shows the entrance to the temple campus in Kalpa. And just look at the architecture, designs, colours and fine work all across. Don't miss the golden gates with equally good emboss and designs. This gate also shows the dragon on 2 of the poles of entry gate, which is probably influenced Tibetan architecture. This can also be seen in many temples in Kinnaur, Spiti and Shimla regions. Hatu Temple also has similar carvings.

While walking around the market of Kalpa town, apart from temples you can also visit this old monastery, which comes on the way when you walk towards Narayan Nagin temple. You need to take a few steps climb on left side of the main path and you are close to the monastery with snow covered mountains in the background. Folks who have interest in history can enjoy this place a a lot. If you have recently visited other monasteries and especially coming back from Spiti, this may look very small but when explore, you will realise that it's very different from many modern monasteries. Kalpa monastery was founded by Rinchensang-po around 950-1055 AD and hence you find some evidences of it being very ancient. Kalpa Monastery also has many captivating wall paintings and the daily buddhist chants bring a Kalpa town to a very different mood.

Address of this place is also known as Kothi. So when you search for Chandika Devi Temple in Kalpa, don't get confused it you see Kothi as name of the place in searched results. This temple in Kothi village of Kalpa is dedicated to Chandika Devi which is oldest daughter of Banasura. Banasura had 18 sons and a daughter. Chandika Devi is considered as one of the powerful godesses and especially in this part of Kinnaur in Himachal Pradesh.

This temple has beautiful architecture with significant use of wood and stones. The roof is mainly wooden with specific kind of slates which is produced out of local mountains of special kind in Himachal Pradesh. I have some of such mountains in Dharmshala/Mcleodganj area.

This was the first time doing all of the following things: Driving long distance on hills, driving an SUV for such a distance, and driving an automatic transmission vehicle for such a distance. It was both thrilling as well as unnerving.

Costa Rica, Monteverde Cloud Forest, Chiang Mai, Thailand, Cambodia, Siem Reap, Sikkim, Yuksom, India, Cotswolds, UK, Dream Destinations

Sikh temples (Gurdwaras) like Harmandir Sahib are open to all persons regardless of their religion, colour, creed, or sex. The only restrictions on the Harmandir Sahib's visitors concern their behavior when entering and while visiting: 1. Maintaining the purity of the sacred space - Upon entering the premises, removing one's shoes (leaving them off for the duration of one's visit) and washing one's feet in the small pool of water provided. 2. Not drinking alcohol, eating meat, or smoking cigarettes or other drugs while in the shrine.

Sarnath Light and Sound Show This project took an unbelievable 18 years to complete, but was recently inaugurated. This Light and Sound show was screened on the Mauryan Era Dhamekha Stupa of Sarnath for the first time in November 2020. The narration is in the voice of none-other-than Amitabh Bachchan and not only talks about the life of Buddha, but also about the art and culture of the city. Another thing to look forward to once the pandemic is over.


Travellingcamera loves clicking ceilings, windows and doors. Above photograph is clicked inside one of the gumbads of Lodhi Garden.


Quality of these photographs is not good because of very low light inside these tombs, especially top most part of these structures get least light.


Above photograph of ceiling is probably is clicked inside the Mosque at Lodhi Garden in Delhi.


Have a closer look at this ceiling inside one of the structures inside Lodhi Garden. That shows that there was a duration when these monuments were not maintained that well or probably it's because of the age of these structures. Some of the portions of the monuments inside Lodhi Garden have lost details.


Here is a contrast, wherein ceiling details are almost intact and the difference is that deep carvings on stone are probably less prone to damage while things pasted on top of the stone may damage sooner. That's my hypothesis and can be wrong.

There are lot of fitness groups who do various kinds of fitness sessions at Lodhi Garden. Frequency of those sessions is different. Some are organized by individual and few by companies like Reebok & Decathlon.

Rashtrapati Bhavan in Delhi is the official residence of the President of India, located in New Delhi, Delhi, India. Until 1950 it was known as Viceroy's House and served as the residence of the Viceroy of India. It is at the heart of an area known as Lutyens' Delhi. It is the largest residence of any Head of the State in the world. The layout of the palace is designed around a massive square although there are many courtyards and open inner areas within. There are separate wings for the Viceroy and another wing for guests. The Viceroy’s wing is a separate four-storey house in itself, with its own court areas within. The wing was so large that the first president of India decided not to stay there, staying in the guest wing, a tradition which was followed by subsequent presidents. At the centre of the main part of the palace, underneath the main dome, is the Durbar Hall, which was known as the Throne Room during British rule when it had thrones for the Viceroy and his wife. It's a must visit place for Architecture lovers.

Dhankar Village - A spectacular village in Himachal Pradesh overlooking Spiti river and Pin river, with very old Gompa, stunning lake and a wonderful fort telling tails of Tibetan Culture

Kibber Village of Himachal Pradesh - A magical place with stunning landscapes, unique monastery and the popular wildlife sanctuary of Spiti Valley

Kibber Village of Himachal Pradesh - A magical place with stunning landscapes, unique monastery and the popular wildlife sanctuary of Spiti Valley

Kibber Village of Himachal Pradesh - A magical place with stunning landscapes, unique monastery and the popular wildlife sanctuary of Spiti Valley

Langza is one of the remotest villages of India in the state of Himachal Pradesh and specifically in the popular Spiti Valley. Close to headquarters of Spiti Valley - Kaza, Langza is a high-altitude village is known for ancient marine fossils, spotting endangered animals and for its grand Buddha statue overlooking the Spiti Valley. Are you wondering why did I add about endangered Animals? May be some time soon I will more on this topic that why this part of Spiti valley is popular amongst wildlife enthusiasts and there are few more special places in Spiti Valley where chances are more to spot snow leopards, Himalayan ibex etc.

The landscapes of Langza village can leave anyone spellbound and I loved the architecture of these houses. Langza is probably one of the most beautiful villages we have visited in Spiti Valley of Himachal Pradesh. As we reached Langza village and near the Statue, we thought of spending some time around these hills which were further surrounded by snow covered mountains all around. I loved these houses and if you notice there is a layer of grass on the roof and that's mainly for maintaining temperature inside the house, especially in winters.

Spiti in Himalayan State of India with varied landscape and rugged mountains has vibrant blue sky and lush patches of greens. Today Atal Tunnel is inaugurated by current Prime Minister of India. This tunnel is going to make Spiti Valley and Lahaul valley easily reachable in winters as well. Today we will take you to the beautiful Journey to Langza village which is popularly known for it's amazing landscapes and a huge Budhha Statue at the height of ~14500 feet.

Spiti is also famous for it's old & different styled monasteries. After driving for few minutes, we hit a place from where we could see the Key Monastery. There is a small village on the way which is gradually converting into bigger town with modern buildings under construction. This photograph is clicked from the same village. There is also a primary school in this town. I clicked few photographs of the kids doing morning prayer but haven't processed them yet. Will try to share those in one of the other posts about Spiti.

Here is another old Monastery at Koumik. If you notice & observe is closely, it's made up of mud & the stones.

Komic Gompa has pretty important status in Spiti valley. Interesting there were lot of vehicles at the time we reached and I am comparing that with people visiting other surrounding places like Langza and Key. That can be incidental and a perception that I made after reaching the place.

At 5pm, one of the chief gardeners of Taj took us on the tour of the property. He started with the fact that Taj WestEnd is oldest Indian Hotel which was started at hotel. There are can be other old buildings which are not hotels, but they were built for different purposes, like various havelis or palaces. He also showed us one of the oldest post-box which is still in use (see above photograph of oldest post-box). He seemed to be very passionate guy about plantation, green landscapes and very well appreciates the importance of natural resources.

After a quick hike and roaming around the Nako lake, we headed inside the village to explore the action inside but it was too early to see any action :). Although we met some of the folks on our way.

If I have to think about most talked and popular monastery in Spiti Valley, it would be Geu Monastery where one can see 500 years old mummy. More than that I loved it's location and third photograph of this post would give you better sense why do I say that. I don't know how I missed doing this series on Monasteries of Spiti valley when I was sharing about my week long trip to Spiti region of Himachal Pradesh. But it's not too late, so let's know more about Gue Monastery in Spiti and some interesting facts/tips.

This is how Gue Monastery looks from a distance when you are driving towards it. This mummy is places in a room near this Monastery. Gue village comes on the way, so if you are planning to visit the place just take a pause in village to check if the room is open. If not, you need to take someone with you so that room can be opened to see this mummy. Related Post - Morning walk around Nako Lake and the village in Kinnaur, Himachal Pradesh

Tabo Monastery has huge frescoes on the walls and it’s little hard to maintain all them. Having said that, these frescoes look beautiful after so many years.

Tabo is an interesting place which comes on the way to Kaza from Nako/Shimla. There is one of the oldest monastery here and now new compound is also built. Above you see the new part of the monastery.

Here is the old Monastery of Tabo. Tabo is considered as oldest continuously operating buddhist enclave in and around Indian Himalayan ranges. This is a very unique monastery setup. You would have always imagines monasteries with colorful exteriors but this one is different. Photography was not allowed inside, so you won't find any photograph here.

Sarahan town in Shimla is known for popular Bhimakali temple but this town has very interesting history associated. In this blogpost we will share about Rajmahal, which is just behind Bhimakali Temple was one of them. So let's get started with the tour of this beautiful palace which is still maintained pretty well and looks even more beautiful during July/August month when Apple orchards are also full of fruits.

Architecture of The Shrikhand View Palace is almost similar to one which we saw in Rampur, Shimla. Wood and beautiful carving on pillars, windows and walls make these palaces look wonderful. The Shrikhand View palace is spread over a huge piece of land and there are multiple buildings spread around apple orchards.
Usually people know Sarahan because of Bhimakali Temple and folks hardly care about this huge palace just opposite to the temple. Above view caught our attention and these huge houses made us explore possibilities to go there and see. Initially people were hesitant about telling that property belongs to Raja Virbhadra Singh, but gradually we got to know. While having snacks in the market, someone told us that visitors are also allowed inside this the palace. A gentleman guided us through the main gate where we requested the gate-keeper. He allowed us to come inside and see some of these huge buildings of Shrikhand View Palace of Sarahan.

As we moved close to these huge buildings, we noticed that some families were living there. We didn't ask much but it seems, these were families of folks who take care of this whole campus full of Apple Orchards, different buildings and few small temples as well.

Summer capital of Rampur Bushahr which is one of the biggest princely states in the Shimla region is mainly popular for Bhimkali Temple. Sarahan presents striking spectacle of snow-covered Himalayan ranges and a picture of unspoilt pastoral loveliness.  

With its two multi-tiered sanctuary towers, elegantly sloping slate-tiled roofs, and gleaming golden spires, Sarahan Palace & Bhimakali Temple are few of the most majestic of the few early timber architectures left in the Sutlej Valley... This is an area renowned for its unusual tradition of housing holy shrines on raised wooden platforms.

Notice these chains and locks, which are still in use at Sarahan Palace. There are some small temples inside the Palace as well.

These huge seating areas in Placae balconies are really royal.

When we were planning our trip to Kinnaur, a visit to Sarahan was also planned. Before starting from Delhi we had researched enough about places we should not miss when visiting a town or village on the way. But still many things surprised us and this Rajmahal just behind Bhimakali Temple was one of them. This Photo Journey is trying to share some moments spent around this Rajmahal with huge campus near the famous Bhimakali Temple in Sarahan town of Shimla district in Himachal Pradesh.Architecture of this Rajmahal was almost similar to one which we saw in Rampur, Shimla. We visited Sarahan next day after exploring Rampur and Jeori. If you have missed our old post on Ramapur Kingdom, just check it out at - http://phototravelings.blogspot.com/2013/05/rajmahal-at-rampur-bushahr-in-shimla.htmlUsually people know Sarahan because of Bhimakali Temple and folks are hardly worried about this huge campus. But above view caught our attention and these huge houses made us explore possibilities to go there and see. Initially people were hesitant about telling that property belongs to Raja Virbhadra Singh, but gradually we got to know. While having snacks in the market, someone told us that visitors are also allowed inside this campus. He guided us through the main gate where we requested the gate-keeper. He allowed us to go inside and see some of these huge complexesAs we entered, there was a very well maintained road connecting all Apple orchards & houses. First we crossed few apple trees on boths sides and then there was a gate on right which was a direct entry for Bhimakali Temple. Bhimakali Temple has two main entries, one is from main market and other is from this Rajmahal campus. If you haven't checked our Photo Journey on Bhimakali Temple, check it out at - http://phototravelings.blogspot.com/2013/05/bheemakali-temple-sarahan-town-shimla.htAs we moved close to these huge buildings, we noticed that some families were living there. We didn't ask much but it seems, these were families of folks who were taking care of this whole campus full of Apple Orchards, different buildings and few small temples as well.At the end of this internal road, there is a huge building which was probably the largest one among all. This was named as 'Shrikhand View'. Above photograph shows one of the main gates for this building. Initially we were hesitating to enter inside this building but staff there was quite welcoming and they guided us through the whole building.There is a huge lawn around this building and above photograph is clicked form lawn only. Photograph shows view of hills above the main Rajmahal. The very first photograph of this Photo Journey shows this great lawn with main Rajmahal building in the background.This whole campus is surrounded by Pine forests. In fact whole Sarahan town is mainly surrounded by Pine and Apple Trees :)Sarahan Palace was alos capital pf former princely state of Bushair for several centuries. Sarahan is famous for it's legends, hilly architecture, special culture and amazing beauty of nature all aroundIt's on hill top and there is a deep valley next to it which ends at Satluj River. One can see snow covered peaks of Shirkhand mountains and that is why one of the main Palace is known as Shirkhand View PalaceSummer capital of Rampur Bushahr which is one of the biggest princely states in the Shimla region is mainly popular for Bhimkali Temple. Sarahan presents striking spectacle of snow-covered Himalayan ranges and a picture of unspoilt pastoral loveliness. It beholds the construction technic of more than 800 years old and also gives a good opportunity to study the western Himalayan architecture.Shrikhand view has a huge campus and many rooms attached to it. It seems, some of the rooms have not been opened for many years. Some of them have very old styled locks and chains.With its two multi-tiered sanctuary ters, elegantly sloping slate-tiled roofs, and gleaming golden spires, Sarahan Palace & Bhimakali Temple are few of the most majestic of the few early timber architectures left in the Sutlej Valley... This is an area renowned for its unusual tradition of housing holy shrines on raised wooden platforms.Following page has some nice details about Sarahan Town, Bhimakali Temple and Sarahan Palace - http://www.trancehimalaya.info/p/sarahan.htmlNotice these chains and locks, which are still in use at Sarahan Palace. There are some small temples inside the Palace as wellThese huge seating areas in Placae balconies are really royalBhimakali Temple was made at the order of Raja Shamsher Singh in the mid-nineteenth century. The sanctum also contains a fabulous collection of Hindu as well as Buddhist bronzesOne of the most interesting structures of the timber-bonded style is Raja Bushahr Palace cum Temple Complex which has been described as one of the finest specimens of hilly architecture. Almost 2000 years old, and like all buildings of the hill type, it is built of layers of rubble masonry and beams of cedar wood A View of Bhimakali Temple from Sarahan Palace and few apple trees can be seen on the foreground

When we were planning our trip to Kinnaur, a visit to Sarahan was also planned. Before starting from Delhi we had researched enough about places we should not miss when visiting a town or village on the way. But still many things surprised us and this Rajmahal just behind Bhimakali Temple was one of them. This Photo Journey is trying to share some moments spent around this Rajmahal with huge campus near the famous Bhimakali Temple in Sarahan town of Shimla district in Himachal Pradesh.Architecture of this Rajmahal was almost similar to one which we saw in Rampur, Shimla. We visited Sarahan next day after exploring Rampur and Jeori. If you have missed our old post on Ramapur Kingdom, just check it out at - http://phototravelings.blogspot.com/2013/05/rajmahal-at-rampur-bushahr-in-shimla.htmlUsually people know Sarahan because of Bhimakali Temple and folks are hardly worried about this huge campus. But above view caught our attention and these huge houses made us explore possibilities to go there and see. Initially people were hesitant about telling that property belongs to Raja Virbhadra Singh, but gradually we got to know. While having snacks in the market, someone told us that visitors are also allowed inside this campus. He guided us through the main gate where we requested the gate-keeper. He allowed us to go inside and see some of these huge complexesAs we entered, there was a very well maintained road connecting all Apple orchards & houses. First we crossed few apple trees on boths sides and then there was a gate on right which was a direct entry for Bhimakali Temple. Bhimakali Temple has two main entries, one is from main market and other is from this Rajmahal campus. If you haven't checked our Photo Journey on Bhimakali Temple, check it out at - http://phototravelings.blogspot.com/2013/05/bheemakali-temple-sarahan-town-shimla.htAs we moved close to these huge buildings, we noticed that some families were living there. We didn't ask much but it seems, these were families of folks who were taking care of this whole campus full of Apple Orchards, different buildings and few small temples as well.At the end of this internal road, there is a huge building which was probably the largest one among all. This was named as 'Shrikhand View'. Above photograph shows one of the main gates for this building. Initially we were hesitating to enter inside this building but staff there was quite welcoming and they guided us through the whole building.There is a huge lawn around this building and above photograph is clicked form lawn only. Photograph shows view of hills above the main Rajmahal. The very first photograph of this Photo Journey shows this great lawn with main Rajmahal building in the background.This whole campus is surrounded by Pine forests. In fact whole Sarahan town is mainly surrounded by Pine and Apple Trees :)Sarahan Palace was alos capital pf former princely state of Bushair for several centuries. Sarahan is famous for it's legends, hilly architecture, special culture and amazing beauty of nature all aroundIt's on hill top and there is a deep valley next to it which ends at Satluj River. One can see snow covered peaks of Shirkhand mountains and that is why one of the main Palace is known as Shirkhand View PalaceSummer capital of Rampur Bushahr which is one of the biggest princely states in the Shimla region is mainly popular for Bhimkali Temple. Sarahan presents striking spectacle of snow-covered Himalayan ranges and a picture of unspoilt pastoral loveliness. It beholds the construction technic of more than 800 years old and also gives a good opportunity to study the western Himalayan architecture.Shrikhand view has a huge campus and many rooms attached to it. It seems, some of the rooms have not been opened for many years. Some of them have very old styled locks and chains.With its two multi-tiered sanctuary ters, elegantly sloping slate-tiled roofs, and gleaming golden spires, Sarahan Palace & Bhimakali Temple are few of the most majestic of the few early timber architectures left in the Sutlej Valley... This is an area renowned for its unusual tradition of housing holy shrines on raised wooden platforms.Following page has some nice details about Sarahan Town, Bhimakali Temple and Sarahan Palace - http://www.trancehimalaya.info/p/sarahan.htmlNotice these chains and locks, which are still in use at Sarahan Palace. There are some small temples inside the Palace as wellThese huge seating areas in Placae balconies are really royalBhimakali Temple was made at the order of Raja Shamsher Singh in the mid-nineteenth century. The sanctum also contains a fabulous collection of Hindu as well as Buddhist bronzesOne of the most interesting structures of the timber-bonded style is Raja Bushahr Palace cum Temple Complex which has been described as one of the finest specimens of hilly architecture. Almost 2000 years old, and like all buildings of the hill type, it is built of layers of rubble masonry and beams of cedar wood A View of Bhimakali Temple from Sarahan Palace and few apple trees can be seen on the foreground

Recently some of us were on Kinnaur Trip and there is place called Jeory on the way. Sarahan is approximately 30 kilometers from Jeory and it's a beautiful town located on hill-top with amazing views of snow covered hills of Kinnaur. Bheemakali temple of Sarahan is most popular place to visit and this Photo Journey shares some of the moments spent around Bheema Kali Temple.Bheema Kali Temple has a huge campus and different temples inside the campus. There are two main temples, out of which one is accessible to everyone during normal days.The Second one is opened on some special occasions and Devi only allows Raja Virbhadra Singh to open the door of that temple. Shri Bheema Kali Temple is located in Sarahan town of Himachal Pradesh in India which is dedicated to the mother goddess Bhimakali, presiding deity of the rulers of former Bushahr State. The temple is situated about 180 km from Shimla and is one of 51 Shakti Peethass. The temple complex has another three temples dedicated to Lord Raghunathji, Narsinghji and Patal Bhairva Ji (Lankra Veer) - the guardian deity.Architecture of Bheema Kali Temple is beautiful. Whole campus is built with Stone and wooden blocks. It seems some part of the campus has not even cement to fix the joints. Whole campus is very well maintained and there is enough security as well.Here is one of the doors of the Bheem Kali temple in Sarahan Town. It's made up of silver with beautiful carving. There is also some text written, mostly in Hindi and Tibbatian scripts. Most of the carved forms are different gods and linked through some old stories.Sarahan was the capital of rulers of former Bushahr State. Bushahr dynasty earlier used to control the state from Kamroo. The capital of state later was shifted to Sonitpur. Later Raja Ram Singh made Rampur as the capital. It is believed that the country of Kinnaur was the Kailash mentioned in Puranas, the abode of Shiva. With its capital at Sonitpur this former princely state was extended up to entire area of Kinnaur where for sometimes Lord Shiva disguised himself as Kirata. Today, the then Sonitpur is known as Sarahan. Banasura, the ardent devotee of Lord Siva, eldest among the one hundred sons of great ablative demon King Bali and the great grandson of Vishnu votary Prahlad, during the Puranic age was the ruler of this princely state.(Courtesy - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhimakali_Temple)According to a legend, the manifestation of the goddess is reported to the Daksha-Yajna incident when the ear of the Sati fell at this place and became a place of worship as a Pitha - Sthan. Presently in the form of a virgin the icon of this eternal goddess is consecrated at the top storey of the new building. Below that storey the goddess as Parvati, the daughter of Himalaya is enshrined as a divine consort of Lord SivaThere is a small market around Bheema Kali Temple and there are enough shops to have lunch or light snacks. Apart from that local caps can be bought from this fellow. He was very welcoming and offered good discounts for us :). We had asked for rates in Rampur Market, but he had better stuff and reasonable prices. There are many other shops in the town where some local stuff can be procured. On top of all that, most of the folks were really sweet to interact with.During our visit, we were looking for ladies wearing Dhaatu but couldn't gain the courage to ask anyone to get clicked by us. And just outside the Bheema Kali temple, this lady asked us to click one of her photograph and show her how we click. Probably she was noticing us clicking & reviewing photographs around the temple. We clicked few shots and showed to her. She shared some tips to improve and finally approved few of the shots. After final approval, she invited us to her hotel nearby but we couldn't go because it was time to head back as we had booked guest-house in Jeory.Here is a nearby sight, which is popularly known as Hawa-Ghar. This point has very clear view of Kinnar-Kailash Hills and place was quite windy. We spent around 30 minutes here to enjoy the breeze and take rest. This place is isolated form hustle bustle of the town. When we reached, there was only one person sitting here. Probably this place was least used by localites, as everyone has Hawa-ghar around their own houses :)Whole place was surrounded by Pine or Deodar Forests and smell was awesome in the middle of these forests. It was really an amazing experience to roam around Bheema Kali Temple and Sarahan Town. Meeting different people, visiting one of the amazing temples in this region, Hawa Ghar, a huge house of old kingdom etc.The town Sarahan is known as the gateway of Kinnaur. Down below at a distance of 7 km from Sarahan is the River Satluj. Sarahan is identified with the then Sonitpur mentioned in Puranas.Before entering into the main temple, everyone needs to lock mobiles, wallets or anything else which is made of leather and then wear a cap. Above photograph shows Aneesh wearing the holy cap and standing on right side of lockers everyone gets to keep everything safe.

Recently some of us were on Kinnaur Trip and there is place called Jeory on the way. Sarahan is approximately 30 kilometers from Jeory and it's a beautiful town located on hill-top with amazing views of snow covered hills of Kinnaur. Bheemakali temple of Sarahan is most popular place to visit and this Photo Journey shares some of the moments spent around Bheema Kali Temple.Bheema Kali Temple has a huge campus and different temples inside the campus. There are two main temples, out of which one is accessible to everyone during normal days.The Second one is opened on some special occasions and Devi only allows Raja Virbhadra Singh to open the door of that temple. Shri Bheema Kali Temple is located in Sarahan town of Himachal Pradesh in India which is dedicated to the mother goddess Bhimakali, presiding deity of the rulers of former Bushahr State. The temple is situated about 180 km from Shimla and is one of 51 Shakti Peethass. The temple complex has another three temples dedicated to Lord Raghunathji, Narsinghji and Patal Bhairva Ji (Lankra Veer) - the guardian deity.Architecture of Bheema Kali Temple is beautiful. Whole campus is built with Stone and wooden blocks. It seems some part of the campus has not even cement to fix the joints. Whole campus is very well maintained and there is enough security as well.Here is one of the doors of the Bheem Kali temple in Sarahan Town. It's made up of silver with beautiful carving. There is also some text written, mostly in Hindi and Tibbatian scripts. Most of the carved forms are different gods and linked through some old stories.Sarahan was the capital of rulers of former Bushahr State. Bushahr dynasty earlier used to control the state from Kamroo. The capital of state later was shifted to Sonitpur. Later Raja Ram Singh made Rampur as the capital. It is believed that the country of Kinnaur was the Kailash mentioned in Puranas, the abode of Shiva. With its capital at Sonitpur this former princely state was extended up to entire area of Kinnaur where for sometimes Lord Shiva disguised himself as Kirata. Today, the then Sonitpur is known as Sarahan. Banasura, the ardent devotee of Lord Siva, eldest among the one hundred sons of great ablative demon King Bali and the great grandson of Vishnu votary Prahlad, during the Puranic age was the ruler of this princely state.(Courtesy - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhimakali_Temple)According to a legend, the manifestation of the goddess is reported to the Daksha-Yajna incident when the ear of the Sati fell at this place and became a place of worship as a Pitha - Sthan. Presently in the form of a virgin the icon of this eternal goddess is consecrated at the top storey of the new building. Below that storey the goddess as Parvati, the daughter of Himalaya is enshrined as a divine consort of Lord SivaThere is a small market around Bheema Kali Temple and there are enough shops to have lunch or light snacks. Apart from that local caps can be bought from this fellow. He was very welcoming and offered good discounts for us :). We had asked for rates in Rampur Market, but he had better stuff and reasonable prices. There are many other shops in the town where some local stuff can be procured. On top of all that, most of the folks were really sweet to interact with.During our visit, we were looking for ladies wearing Dhaatu but couldn't gain the courage to ask anyone to get clicked by us. And just outside the Bheema Kali temple, this lady asked us to click one of her photograph and show her how we click. Probably she was noticing us clicking & reviewing photographs around the temple. We clicked few shots and showed to her. She shared some tips to improve and finally approved few of the shots. After final approval, she invited us to her hotel nearby but we couldn't go because it was time to head back as we had booked guest-house in Jeory.Here is a nearby sight, which is popularly known as Hawa-Ghar. This point has very clear view of Kinnar-Kailash Hills and place was quite windy. We spent around 30 minutes here to enjoy the breeze and take rest. This place is isolated form hustle bustle of the town. When we reached, there was only one person sitting here. Probably this place was least used by localites, as everyone has Hawa-ghar around their own houses :)Whole place was surrounded by Pine or Deodar Forests and smell was awesome in the middle of these forests. It was really an amazing experience to roam around Bheema Kali Temple and Sarahan Town. Meeting different people, visiting one of the amazing temples in this region, Hawa Ghar, a huge house of old kingdom etc.The town Sarahan is known as the gateway of Kinnaur. Down below at a distance of 7 km from Sarahan is the River Satluj. Sarahan is identified with the then Sonitpur mentioned in Puranas.Before entering into the main temple, everyone needs to lock mobiles, wallets or anything else which is made of leather and then wear a cap. Above photograph shows Aneesh wearing the holy cap and standing on right side of lockers everyone gets to keep everything safe. 

Recently some of us were on Kinnaur Trip and there is place called Jeory on the way. Sarahan is approximately 30 kilometers from Jeory and it's a beautiful town located on hill-top with amazing views of snow covered hills of Kinnaur. Bheemakali temple of Sarahan is most popular place to visit and this Photo Journey shares some of the moments spent around Bheema Kali Temple.Bheema Kali Temple has a huge campus and different temples inside the campus. There are two main temples, out of which one is accessible to everyone during normal days.The Second one is opened on some special occasions and Devi only allows Raja Virbhadra Singh to open the door of that temple. Shri Bheema Kali Temple is located in Sarahan town of Himachal Pradesh in India which is dedicated to the mother goddess Bhimakali, presiding deity of the rulers of former Bushahr State. The temple is situated about 180 km from Shimla and is one of 51 Shakti Peethass. The temple complex has another three temples dedicated to Lord Raghunathji, Narsinghji and Patal Bhairva Ji (Lankra Veer) - the guardian deity.Architecture of Bheema Kali Temple is beautiful. Whole campus is built with Stone and wooden blocks. It seems some part of the campus has not even cement to fix the joints. Whole campus is very well maintained and there is enough security as well.Here is one of the doors of the Bheem Kali temple in Sarahan Town. It's made up of silver with beautiful carving. There is also some text written, mostly in Hindi and Tibbatian scripts. Most of the carved forms are different gods and linked through some old stories.Sarahan was the capital of rulers of former Bushahr State. Bushahr dynasty earlier used to control the state from Kamroo. The capital of state later was shifted to Sonitpur. Later Raja Ram Singh made Rampur as the capital. It is believed that the country of Kinnaur was the Kailash mentioned in Puranas, the abode of Shiva. With its capital at Sonitpur this former princely state was extended up to entire area of Kinnaur where for sometimes Lord Shiva disguised himself as Kirata. Today, the then Sonitpur is known as Sarahan. Banasura, the ardent devotee of Lord Siva, eldest among the one hundred sons of great ablative demon King Bali and the great grandson of Vishnu votary Prahlad, during the Puranic age was the ruler of this princely state.(Courtesy - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhimakali_Temple)According to a legend, the manifestation of the goddess is reported to the Daksha-Yajna incident when the ear of the Sati fell at this place and became a place of worship as a Pitha - Sthan. Presently in the form of a virgin the icon of this eternal goddess is consecrated at the top storey of the new building. Below that storey the goddess as Parvati, the daughter of Himalaya is enshrined as a divine consort of Lord SivaThere is a small market around Bheema Kali Temple and there are enough shops to have lunch or light snacks. Apart from that local caps can be bought from this fellow. He was very welcoming and offered good discounts for us :). We had asked for rates in Rampur Market, but he had better stuff and reasonable prices. There are many other shops in the town where some local stuff can be procured. On top of all that, most of the folks were really sweet to interact with.During our visit, we were looking for ladies wearing Dhaatu but couldn't gain the courage to ask anyone to get clicked by us. And just outside the Bheema Kali temple, this lady asked us to click one of her photograph and show her how we click. Probably she was noticing us clicking & reviewing photographs around the temple. We clicked few shots and showed to her. She shared some tips to improve and finally approved few of the shots. After final approval, she invited us to her hotel nearby but we couldn't go because it was time to head back as we had booked guest-house in Jeory.Here is a nearby sight, which is popularly known as Hawa-Ghar. This point has very clear view of Kinnar-Kailash Hills and place was quite windy. We spent around 30 minutes here to enjoy the breeze and take rest. This place is isolated form hustle bustle of the town. When we reached, there was only one person sitting here. Probably this place was least used by localites, as everyone has Hawa-ghar around their own houses :)Whole place was surrounded by Pine or Deodar Forests and smell was awesome in the middle of these forests. It was really an amazing experience to roam around Bheema Kali Temple and Sarahan Town. Meeting different people, visiting one of the amazing temples in this region, Hawa Ghar, a huge house of old kingdom etc.The town Sarahan is known as the gateway of Kinnaur. Down below at a distance of 7 km from Sarahan is the River Satluj. Sarahan is identified with the then Sonitpur mentioned in Puranas.Before entering into the main temple, everyone needs to lock mobiles, wallets or anything else which is made of leather and then wear a cap. Above photograph shows Aneesh wearing the holy cap and standing on right side of lockers everyone gets to keep everything safe.

When we were planning our trip to Kinnaur, a visit to Sarahan was also planned. Before starting from Delhi we had researched enough about places we should not miss when visiting a town or village on the way. But still many things surprised us and this Rajmahal just behind Bhimakali Temple was one of them. This Photo Journey is trying to share some moments spent around this Rajmahal with huge campus near the famous Bhimakali Temple in Sarahan town of Shimla district in Himachal Pradesh.Architecture of this Rajmahal was almost similar to one which we saw in Rampur, Shimla. We visited Sarahan next day after exploring Rampur and Jeori. If you have missed our old post on Ramapur Kingdom, just check it out at - http://phototravelings.blogspot.com/2013/05/rajmahal-at-rampur-bushahr-in-shimla.htmlUsually people know Sarahan because of Bhimakali Temple and folks are hardly worried about this huge campus. But above view caught our attention and these huge houses made us explore possibilities to go there and see. Initially people were hesitant about telling that property belongs to Raja Virbhadra Singh, but gradually we got to know. While having snacks in the market, someone told us that visitors are also allowed inside this campus. He guided us through the main gate where we requested the gate-keeper. He allowed us to go inside and see some of these huge complexesAs we entered, there was a very well maintained road connecting all Apple orchards & houses. First we crossed few apple trees on boths sides and then there was a gate on right which was a direct entry for Bhimakali Temple. Bhimakali Temple has two main entries, one is from main market and other is from this Rajmahal campus. If you haven't checked our Photo Journey on Bhimakali Temple, check it out at - http://phototravelings.blogspot.com/2013/05/bheemakali-temple-sarahan-town-shimla.htAs we moved close to these huge buildings, we noticed that some families were living there. We didn't ask much but it seems, these were families of folks who were taking care of this whole campus full of Apple Orchards, different buildings and few small temples as well.At the end of this internal road, there is a huge building which was probably the largest one among all. This was named as 'Shrikhand View'. Above photograph shows one of the main gates for this building. Initially we were hesitating to enter inside this building but staff there was quite welcoming and they guided us through the whole building.There is a huge lawn around this building and above photograph is clicked form lawn only. Photograph shows view of hills above the main Rajmahal. The very first photograph of this Photo Journey shows this great lawn with main Rajmahal building in the background.This whole campus is surrounded by Pine forests. In fact whole Sarahan town is mainly surrounded by Pine and Apple Trees :)Sarahan Palace was alos capital pf former princely state of Bushair for several centuries. Sarahan is famous for it's legends, hilly architecture, special culture and amazing beauty of nature all aroundIt's on hill top and there is a deep valley next to it which ends at Satluj River. One can see snow covered peaks of Shirkhand mountains and that is why one of the main Palace is known as Shirkhand View PalaceSummer capital of Rampur Bushahr which is one of the biggest princely states in the Shimla region is mainly popular for Bhimkali Temple. Sarahan presents striking spectacle of snow-covered Himalayan ranges and a picture of unspoilt pastoral loveliness. It beholds the construction technic of more than 800 years old and also gives a good opportunity to study the western Himalayan architecture.Shrikhand view has a huge campus and many rooms attached to it. It seems, some of the rooms have not been opened for many years. Some of them have very old styled locks and chains.With its two multi-tiered sanctuary ters, elegantly sloping slate-tiled roofs, and gleaming golden spires, Sarahan Palace & Bhimakali Temple are few of the most majestic of the few early timber architectures left in the Sutlej Valley... This is an area renowned for its unusual tradition of housing holy shrines on raised wooden platforms.Following page has some nice details about Sarahan Town, Bhimakali Temple and Sarahan Palace - http://www.trancehimalaya.info/p/sarahan.htmlNotice these chains and locks, which are still in use at Sarahan Palace. There are some small temples inside the Palace as wellThese huge seating areas in Placae balconies are really royalBhimakali Temple was made at the order of Raja Shamsher Singh in the mid-nineteenth century. The sanctum also contains a fabulous collection of Hindu as well as Buddhist bronzesOne of the most interesting structures of the timber-bonded style is Raja Bushahr Palace cum Temple Complex which has been described as one of the finest specimens of hilly architecture. Almost 2000 years old, and like all buildings of the hill type, it is built of layers of rubble masonry and beams of cedar wood A View of Bhimakali Temple from Sarahan Palace and few apple trees can be seen on the foreground

Just near the Serolsar lake, there is a temple of goddess ‘Buddhi Nagin’. It is believed that goddess ‘Buddhi Nagin’ resides inside the Serol Sar lake and is the mother of 60 ‘Nag Devtas’ in Himachal Pradesh. It is also said that Pandavas visited Serol Sar in Dwaparyug during their exile period and planted rice here. This Blogpost will some really interesting facts about this place, the temple, the lake and the wonderful hike up there. Related blogpost - An easy yet wonderful hike from Jalori Pass to Serolsar Lake around Grand Himalayas - Not all treks have to be difficult

As we crossed the half part of the trek, we hit this place where we saw lot of abandoned houses. It looked like a small village, which is left behind by a community. Related Blogpost - Road trip to Jibhi, Shoja & Bajar region of Himachal Pradesh, India

During last week of June, Nitin called up for 3rd Mughal Rally in Shrinagar. So the journey started early in morning at 5:00am from Gurgaon. This Photo Journey shares some of the moments captured in my HTC Desire HD MobileJourney started in Nitin's gypsy... Thankfully weather was comparatively better, but we also had AC in the gypsy to handle weather conditions... We stopped at various places in Punjab to have fresh sugarcane juice or lemon-soda.After smooth journey through Ambala, Ludhiana & Pathankot we reached Jammu at around 4:30 pm. Plan was to stay at Jammu and leave for Shrinagar in early morning. We stayed at Hari Niwas Palace which is near to AMAR MAHAL Palace in Jammu. It was beautiful place to stay. River on other side of the hotel with wonderful view makes this a great place to stay in Jammu.After refreshing halt at Jammu, next journey started at 5:00am with convoy of Mughal Rally Officials who had come from various parts of the country. Mughal Rally is basically organized by Himalayan Motorsports with support of J&K Bank and J&K Tourism department. Of course local administration, government, police and army are integral part of it's success. We came to Shrinagar from Jammu via old Mughal Road, as we wanted to understand the stretches one day before actually start our project on these hills. Most of the stretch has wonderful landscapes with snow capped hills looking into the beautiful valleys with white-water streams and waterfalls. It took approximately 6 hrs to reach Shrinagar from Jammu via Mughal Road. Mughal Road is good shape except few patches where work is under progress. We were in a convoy of around 15 vehicles... We stopped many times on the way to feel the change in weather, appreciate natural beauty all around and snacks..It was scrutiny day, we spent some time around Shrinagar Golf Club where all the formalities were happening. Capturing some scrutiny moments, we headed towards our hotel, Cetaur. After some snacks and meeting different folks I thought of heading towards Dal Lake. I was happy to see Dal Lake in well maintained condition. In fact, cleaning of the lake was in progress while we were there. I shall be sharing a separate Photo Journey on Dal Lake with more details about the way people live around this lake and how they commute to different parts of Shrinagar City Weather at Shrinagar was not very interesting as town is in foothills and very much crowded like other cities. Traffic Jams are very well popular in the city. So it's like any other Indian City...Again Road Journey had to be started at 2:30am. So we started towards Peer-Ki-Gali from Shrinagar on first day of Rally. After few hours of drive we reached the place and it was freezing cold there. Of-course, we were carrying some warm cloths but the chilly wind was unbearable in early morning. On top of that, we had to wait for Rally vehicles to come and there was enough time to start the rally. Now we were three - Nitin, Varun and Myself. We placed ourselves at various places in the stage.Day-1 was extremely tiring and ended with some good shots around Peer-ki-Gali. At around 5:00 pm we headed towards Shrinagar. It was time to take some rest & take backup of Camera-Cards. After dinner, it was time for early sleep as next day we had to start at 3:30am towards Sinthan Pass.Next day, journey started in Nitin's Gypsy at 3:30am from Hotel Centaur Shrinagar. It was 3 hrs of drive from Shrinagar to Sinthan Pass from where first stage had to start. Sinthan Pass was surrounded with while snow in extremely solid form although melting speed increased as sun came on top. Most of the regions around the Sinthan Pass had broken roads with lot of water flowing through them. Flow kept increasing with day, which was good for us to take some action shots with comparatively good compositions.All these days at Jammu & Kashmir were extremely hectic, but Nitin had everything in his Gypsy to make these travels comfortable. Sleeping bags/mats, Eatables, Gas for making Maggie etc... I can't list all the stuff we were carrying, as this is a good material to frame about MobileGIRI Photo Journey :Maggie Time at Sinthan Pass, J&K, INDIAAfter Stage-1 of Day-2, it's time to take some rest...

Hidden among the snow covered hills of Shrikhand Mountian Ranges, which are known for their mythological significance and is said to be one of the adobe of Lord Shiva, this unknown village beckon those with an adventurous spirit as its beautiful landscape and lush green valley will take your breath away.

Sarahan village has beautiful houses all around, with varied architectures. Roofs of all these houses are the same. Sloped roofs are made of rock-cut slates. These rocks are usually found on hills which get snow all the time. These rocks/slates are considered very strong and that's why are used on roof tops in areas which get heavy rains or snowfall. Related Blogpost - Wonderful stay at Sarahan Village of Kullu District of Himachal Pradesh (During MTB Himachal 2010)

Wood is also used heavily in constructing these houses. Mostly it's cedar wood which is considered pretty strong.

Walking around these villages is an amazing experience and I always enjoy roaming around these streets with surprising activities happening throughout the day. I also belong to a village but each village has a character and has varied experiences to offer.

Sarahan in Shimla region of Himachal Pradesh is quite popular because of royal palace and famous Bhimakali temple there. While almost no one knows about Sarahan in Kullu, which is little away from main roads although connected through rough road. Sarahan in Kullu is awesome because it's located around some of the most beautiful natural beauties. Can you imagine a huge lush green ground for camping with water streams flowing through it and snow covered mountains all around. Walk for 20 mins and you hit a huge waterfall which was visible from this ground I mentioned above. There is a small village with unique styled houses and solar lights on pathways inside the village.

Recently some of my friends had permissions to visit various monuments in Delhi to shoot Lunar Eclipse on 10th Dec, 2011. I also joined them, although all the hard-work for planning these photo-shoots, getting permissions and arranging appropriate equipments was done by other folks. All photographs shared here are not related to the project. These are some of the casual shots taken during eclipse hours on that evening...Here is one of the simple shot when eclipse just started This shot was taken around 6:35 pm on 10th Dec, 2011 !!! Usually Lunar Eclipse used to take place in January, when sky is mainly covered with clouds or fog. Since this time, it happened early, people got to see it clearly and there was huge buzz among various Photography communities.Here is one of the photograph of Humayun's tomb. It's taken with Zoon-in/Zoom-out during long-exposure. Since most of folks were busy on eclipse project and they had to spent 4 hrs at Humayun's tomb, I thought of roaming around and having some clicks of the place in this wonderful lighting, which is rare to capture. Above photograph is also a result of some of the experiments done at Humayun's Tomb, Delhi.Here are some water ponds in all four directions of Humayn's Tomb, but the one in front of entry gate is maintained well. Reflection of the main tomb was looking awesome in Eclipse hours, although above photograph failed to show the real magic... You can see the shining moon in the sky and lovely hues of sunset, when exposed this view for a long time.A similar photograph of Humayn Tomb, with some part of it being reflecting on adjoining water stream... Usually Humayun Tomb closes before Sunset, but if someone wants to have access for some specific purpose, permissions are required in advance.Relatively closer look at Lunar Eclipse through Humayun Tomb. Lunar Eclipse of 10th Dec 2011 can be seen in Photographs at http://www.examiner.com/photography-in-national/yesterday-s-total-lunar-eclipse-photos-1 as well !!!Light and colors were changing with every minute. In fact the change was very prominent for folks who were shooting moon close-ups with tele-photo lenses. After one stage, color of moon starts changing to red and again come back natural shade after few hours...Opposite side of Humayun Tomb, Delhi, INDIAThere are various photography techniques are explained on web and some of them are really technical. At the same time, some of them are really easy to get an idea about the concept and light variation trend during the eclipse hours. In my opinion, understanding the concept and applying your ideas is more important otherwise we always see similar shots on every lunar eclipse. Now many softwares even come with standard ways of capturing lunar eclipse and create single HDR or multi-exposure shots.Carrying Gorilla-pod helps in placing camera at low height, so that some of the other compositions can be tried... No doubt that sturdy and big tripods are important for such shoots but some desi fundas also work well :)Humayun Tomb is very well maintained by Archaeological Survey of India !!! ASI is is the organization to get special permissions to get entry into Humayun Tomb in odd hours. There is lot of green area around main tomb in this campus. And there is very special thing about Mughal Architecture that all four areas around a building are maintained in similar fashion. Alignments of landscapes, gardens and trees would be exactly same.During day time, entry fees for SAARC citizens is 10 Rs. SAARC includes Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Maldives and Afghanistan... BIMSTEC Countries like Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Myanmar also need to pay 10 Rs only. For others it's $5.This photograph would be give you a sense about it's shape and architecture. It has a square base and all four faces of Humayun Tomb look same. Theoretically it's a two storey building but height of one storey is unmatchable :) ... Whole building is made of red stone and Taj Mahal is exactly replica of this building, but in white marble...Light streaks touching ground after filtering through tree leaves around Humayun Tomb... Such photographs from early morning look stunning, as light is most favorable at that point of time of the day...Check following link on wiipedia to know more about Humayun Tomb - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomb_of_Humayun . This page has rich information about architecture of Humayun Tomb and history related to it.Humayun Tomb is also in the list of World Heritage sites maintained by UNESCO. Check out http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/232 for more details.Every other site about Delhi has special mention of Humayun Tomb, so I would not repeat all those well known facts about the place. Delhicapital.com has also written about Humayun Tomb in a well structured way... Check it out......A photographer sitting in front of main Tomb in the campus to shoot Lunar Eclipse 2011 with Humayun Tomb in foreground. These folks were sitting at same place, fiddling with camera setting to get best possible multi-exposure shots. Some of them also work on HDRs and hope to see the results soon.Some of the standard techniques of shooting Lunar Eclipses are available here - it was lovely evening with enthusiastic Photographers at Humayun Tomb !!!

Recently some of my friends had permissions to visit various monuments in Delhi to shoot Lunar Eclipse on 10th Dec, 2011. I also joined them, although all the hard-work for planning these photo-shoots, getting permissions and arranging appropriate equipments was done by other folks. All photographs shared here are not related to the project. These are some of the casual shots taken during eclipse hours on that evening...Here is one of the simple shot when eclipse just started This shot was taken around 6:35 pm on 10th Dec, 2011 !!! Usually Lunar Eclipse used to take place in January, when sky is mainly covered with clouds or fog. Since this time, it happened early, people got to see it clearly and there was huge buzz among various Photography communities.Here is one of the photograph of Humayun's tomb. It's taken with Zoon-in/Zoom-out during long-exposure. Since most of folks were busy on eclipse project and they had to spent 4 hrs at Humayun's tomb, I thought of roaming around and having some clicks of the place in this wonderful lighting, which is rare to capture. Above photograph is also a result of some of the experiments done at Humayun's Tomb, Delhi.Here are some water ponds in all four directions of Humayn's Tomb, but the one in front of entry gate is maintained well. Reflection of the main tomb was looking awesome in Eclipse hours, although above photograph failed to show the real magic... You can see the shining moon in the sky and lovely hues of sunset, when exposed this view for a long time.A similar photograph of Humayn Tomb, with some part of it being reflecting on adjoining water stream... Usually Humayun Tomb closes before Sunset, but if someone wants to have access for some specific purpose, permissions are required in advance.Relatively closer look at Lunar Eclipse through Humayun Tomb. Lunar Eclipse of 10th Dec 2011 can be seen in Photographs at http://www.examiner.com/photography-in-national/yesterday-s-total-lunar-eclipse-photos-1 as well !!!Light and colors were changing with every minute. In fact the change was very prominent for folks who were shooting moon close-ups with tele-photo lenses. After one stage, color of moon starts changing to red and again come back natural shade after few hours...Opposite side of Humayun Tomb, Delhi, INDIAThere are various photography techniques are explained on web and some of them are really technical. At the same time, some of them are really easy to get an idea about the concept and light variation trend during the eclipse hours. In my opinion, understanding the concept and applying your ideas is more important otherwise we always see similar shots on every lunar eclipse. Now many softwares even come with standard ways of capturing lunar eclipse and create single HDR or multi-exposure shots.Carrying Gorilla-pod helps in placing camera at low height, so that some of the other compositions can be tried... No doubt that sturdy and big tripods are important for such shoots but some desi fundas also work well :)Humayun Tomb is very well maintained by Archaeological Survey of India !!! ASI is is the organization to get special permissions to get entry into Humayun Tomb in odd hours. There is lot of green area around main tomb in this campus. And there is very special thing about Mughal Architecture that all four areas around a building are maintained in similar fashion. Alignments of landscapes, gardens and trees would be exactly same.During day time, entry fees for SAARC citizens is 10 Rs. SAARC includes Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Maldives and Afghanistan... BIMSTEC Countries like Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Myanmar also need to pay 10 Rs only. For others it's $5.This photograph would be give you a sense about it's shape and architecture. It has a square base and all four faces of Humayun Tomb look same. Theoretically it's a two storey building but height of one storey is unmatchable :) ... Whole building is made of red stone and Taj Mahal is exactly replica of this building, but in white marble...Light streaks touching ground after filtering through tree leaves around Humayun Tomb... Such photographs from early morning look stunning, as light is most favorable at that point of time of the day...Check following link on wiipedia to know more about Humayun Tomb - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomb_of_Humayun . This page has rich information about architecture of Humayun Tomb and history related to it.Humayun Tomb is also in the list of World Heritage sites maintained by UNESCO. Check out http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/232 for more details.Every other site about Delhi has special mention of Humayun Tomb, so I would not repeat all those well known facts about the place. Delhicapital.com has also written about Humayun Tomb in a well structured way... Check it out......A photographer sitting in front of main Tomb in the campus to shoot Lunar Eclipse 2011 with Humayun Tomb in foreground. These folks were sitting at same place, fiddling with camera setting to get best possible multi-exposure shots. Some of them also work on HDRs and hope to see the results soon.Some of the standard techniques of shooting Lunar Eclipses are available here - it was lovely evening with enthusiastic Photographers at Humayun Tomb !!!

Recently some of my friends had permissions to visit various monuments in Delhi to shoot Lunar Eclipse on 10th Dec, 2011. I also joined them, although all the hard-work for planning these photo-shoots, getting permissions and arranging appropriate equipments was done by other folks. All photographs shared here are not related to the project. These are some of the casual shots taken during eclipse hours on that evening...Here is one of the simple shot when eclipse just started This shot was taken around 6:35 pm on 10th Dec, 2011 !!! Usually Lunar Eclipse used to take place in January, when sky is mainly covered with clouds or fog. Since this time, it happened early, people got to see it clearly and there was huge buzz among various Photography communities.Here is one of the photograph of Humayun's tomb. It's taken with Zoon-in/Zoom-out during long-exposure. Since most of folks were busy on eclipse project and they had to spent 4 hrs at Humayun's tomb, I thought of roaming around and having some clicks of the place in this wonderful lighting, which is rare to capture. Above photograph is also a result of some of the experiments done at Humayun's Tomb, Delhi.Here are some water ponds in all four directions of Humayn's Tomb, but the one in front of entry gate is maintained well. Reflection of the main tomb was looking awesome in Eclipse hours, although above photograph failed to show the real magic... You can see the shining moon in the sky and lovely hues of sunset, when exposed this view for a long time.A similar photograph of Humayn Tomb, with some part of it being reflecting on adjoining water stream... Usually Humayun Tomb closes before Sunset, but if someone wants to have access for some specific purpose, permissions are required in advance.Relatively closer look at Lunar Eclipse through Humayun Tomb. Lunar Eclipse of 10th Dec 2011 can be seen in Photographs at http://www.examiner.com/photography-in-national/yesterday-s-total-lunar-eclipse-photos-1 as well !!!Light and colors were changing with every minute. In fact the change was very prominent for folks who were shooting moon close-ups with tele-photo lenses. After one stage, color of moon starts changing to red and again come back natural shade after few hours...Opposite side of Humayun Tomb, Delhi, INDIAThere are various photography techniques are explained on web and some of them are really technical. At the same time, some of them are really easy to get an idea about the concept and light variation trend during the eclipse hours. In my opinion, understanding the concept and applying your ideas is more important otherwise we always see similar shots on every lunar eclipse. Now many softwares even come with standard ways of capturing lunar eclipse and create single HDR or multi-exposure shots.Carrying Gorilla-pod helps in placing camera at low height, so that some of the other compositions can be tried... No doubt that sturdy and big tripods are important for such shoots but some desi fundas also work well :)Humayun Tomb is very well maintained by Archaeological Survey of India !!! ASI is is the organization to get special permissions to get entry into Humayun Tomb in odd hours. There is lot of green area around main tomb in this campus. And there is very special thing about Mughal Architecture that all four areas around a building are maintained in similar fashion. Alignments of landscapes, gardens and trees would be exactly same.During day time, entry fees for SAARC citizens is 10 Rs. SAARC includes Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Maldives and Afghanistan... BIMSTEC Countries like Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Myanmar also need to pay 10 Rs only. For others it's $5.This photograph would be give you a sense about it's shape and architecture. It has a square base and all four faces of Humayun Tomb look same. Theoretically it's a two storey building but height of one storey is unmatchable :) ... Whole building is made of red stone and Taj Mahal is exactly replica of this building, but in white marble...Light streaks touching ground after filtering through tree leaves around Humayun Tomb... Such photographs from early morning look stunning, as light is most favorable at that point of time of the day...Check following link on wiipedia to know more about Humayun Tomb - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomb_of_Humayun . This page has rich information about architecture of Humayun Tomb and history related to it.Humayun Tomb is also in the list of World Heritage sites maintained by UNESCO. Check out http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/232 for more details.Every other site about Delhi has special mention of Humayun Tomb, so I would not repeat all those well known facts about the place. Delhicapital.com has also written about Humayun Tomb in a well structured way... Check it out......A photographer sitting in front of main Tomb in the campus to shoot Lunar Eclipse 2011 with Humayun Tomb in foreground. These folks were sitting at same place, fiddling with camera setting to get best possible multi-exposure shots. Some of them also work on HDRs and hope to see the results soon.Some of the standard techniques of shooting Lunar Eclipses are available here - it was lovely evening with enthusiastic Photographers at Humayun Tomb !!!


Posted by Ripple (VJ) : Humayun's Tomb, Delhi : Light passing through a window The actual tomb of Humayun - the second Mughal emperor.Side view of Humayun's TombEntry for main Tomb...Series of pillars @ Humayun's Tomb, DelhiHumayun's Tomb is very well maintained...Light passing through a window @ Humayun's Tomb, DelhiBeautiful light pattern created by jaali in window @ Humayun's Tomb, DelhiLight pattern created by window light in a pillar @ Humayun's Tomb, DelhiLight pattern inside water body in front of Humayun's Tomb, Delhi @ Humayun's Tomb, Delhi

Posted by Ripple (VJ) : Humayun's Tomb, Delhi : Beautiful light pattern The actual tomb of Humayun - the second Mughal emperor.Side view of Humayun's TombEntry for main Tomb...Series of pillars @ Humayun's Tomb, DelhiHumayun's Tomb is very well maintained...Light passing through a window @ Humayun's Tomb, DelhiBeautiful light pattern created by jaali in window @ Humayun's Tomb, DelhiLight pattern created by window light in a pillar @ Humayun's Tomb, DelhiLight pattern inside water body in front of Humayun's Tomb, Delhicreated by jaali in window @ Humayun's Tomb, Delhi

Posted by Ripple (VJ) : Humayun's Tomb, Delhi : Light pattern created by The actual tomb of Humayun - the second Mughal emperor.Side view of Humayun's TombEntry for main Tomb...Series of pillars @ Humayun's Tomb, DelhiHumayun's Tomb is very well maintained...Light passing through a window @ Humayun's Tomb, DelhiBeautiful light pattern created by jaali in window @ Humayun's Tomb, DelhiLight pattern created by window light in a pillar @ Humayun's Tomb, DelhiLight pattern inside water body in front of Humayun's Tomb, Delhiwindow light in a pillar @ Humayun's Tomb, Delhi

Posted by Ripple (VJ) : Humayun's Tomb, Delhi : The actual tomb of Humayun - the second Mughal emperor. The actual tomb of Humayun - the second Mughal emperor.Side view of Humayun's TombEntry for main Tomb...Series of pillars @ Humayun's Tomb, DelhiHumayun's Tomb is very well maintained...Light passing through a window @ Humayun's Tomb, DelhiBeautiful light pattern created by jaali in window @ Humayun's Tomb, DelhiLight pattern created by window light in a pillar @ Humayun's Tomb, DelhiLight pattern inside water body in front of Humayun's Tomb, Delhi



A visit in an year to Khajjiar has made me click less photographs and rather experience different weather there. I was in Khajjiar during monsoons and this is probably the best season to experience lush green landscapes all around. Khajjiar, at times, is not accessible during winters because roads get closed due to snowfallThis is the first view of Khajjiar lake when you are coming from Dalhousie. This is the point where you should start looking for parking slot. Road condition is usually not very good during monsoons. Maintaining roads in hills is very challenging, but still Himachal has been aggressive in maintaining it's roads. Especially roads in tourist regions.During Monsoons, it's very important to keep umbrella with you, even if sun is shining and there is no patch of clouds. This change in minutes and hence very unpredictable. Our day started with clear sky and by the time we reached Khajjiar it started raining heavily. Fortunately we were carrying few umbrellas and borrowed one from our cab driver.While it was raining, we took a table in one of the restaurants around Khajjiar Lake. It was lunch time and we thought of utilizing this time and had lunch. I am forgetting the name of the place where we had lunch and it was good Punjabi food.A few kilometers ahead there is a temple with this huge Shiva idol. Now let me share a very useful tip. If you came to Khajjiar from Dalhousie in a bus and want to go back in bus only. Reach this place 30 minutes back. Usually there are lot of folks who board bus in Khajjiar and it becomes very challenging to get in. Since this temple is a stop before Khajjiar, there is good probability to get in comfortably and also find a seat. There are 2 buses from Khajjiar to Dalhousie between 1pm to 3pm.So if you come early in the morning, the timings would suit you.These days paragliding is also quite popular activity around Khajjiar. One flies from a surrounding hill. You need to climb of the hill, so be sure about it. After flight, depending upon the flow of wind you can have a top view of Khajiar, but landing happens in village behind the shiva temple. I haven't done paragliding here so don't know the charges. Bir Billing is best place for Paragliding in Himachal Pradesh and I had that experience.Another view of Shiva from road connecting Khajjiar with ChambaMonsoon is a good time to taste local produce. Local cucumber is much tastier than what we get in cities through cold storage. During Monsoons, you would see lot of folks selling fresh fruit salad around Khajjiar and what can be best snack when travelling in himalayas.Clouds make this place more beautiful. I made some videos of clouds covering this place and going upwards to play in woods, but unfortunately we lost those videos due to card corruption. As I see some herbs vendor in above photograph, so let me warn you about a group of folks who sell you local herbs (don't know what that means and I never bought). But I have heard bad experiences of folks who dealt with these vendors. Please note that most of them are not local folks. and things they sell are not locally produced. They bring stuff from Jammu or Pathankot and sell to tourists. So if you can judge the originality of stuff being sold, go have a talk. Otherwise avoid even talking. Pre-wedding shoots and post wedding shoots are getting popular in our country. And I noticed lot of couples here at Khajjiar with professional photographers. Some of these photographers roam around the lake and click photographs to hand-over in form of prints. Some of the photographers had come with couples, were indulged in finding appropriate location and guiding these couples for some unique shots.I also wanted to do a shoot with my model, but this time she was acting like celebrities. And even weather was not favoring us. So this time, I couldn't click much.Here is path outside the green meadows, which is used for horse riding. You can hire a horse to have a round of Khajiar or roam around the neighboring villages. I never took the other route where these folks promise to show village and apple orchards. Carefully notice this photograph. Imagine the view when these clouds are slowing coming out of these forests. This was the best moment and experience at Khajjiar.There are lot vendors selling toys for kids. Urvi also wanted few but settled at one, which didn't reach home safely :). We had long day, so that was expected... I like some of these things at tourist places which provide opportunities for local folks. Some selling these toys, few making fruit salad and others selling juicy bhuttas. And all these things are also available at reasonable costs if you compare with prices quoted in bigger cities like Delhi. And it's not about money, it's more about purity and love of these local folks.This was shot when I was just leaving for Chamba. These colorful baloons in front of these green landscapes looked awesome. Over the years I have seen this place transforming, in good as well as bad ways. Local authorities don't allow people to play any kind of sport on these lawns but there areNames of horses around Khajjiar are very interesting :) ... Romeo, Chetak etc.. If you intend to stay around Khajjiar, there are 3 reasonable options - HPTDC hotel, HPPWD Guest-House and Forest Guest-House. Apart from there are there are various private properties.


During recent trip to Shimla, I was travelling on bikes most of the time. Our bikes even hit the restricted regions like Mall Road, Ridge and Lakkar bazar... Let's have a quick Photo Journey of Shimla !!!New look of Gaiety Theatre in Shimla. This Theatre is situated on Mall Road and now open for all. There is small ticket amount one needs to pay to explore it inside. Various plays, exhibitions and other cultural events take place at Gaiety Theatre. Some part of Gaiety is also visible from Ridge.Afternoon view of Ridge, Shimla !!! Some Himachal Tourism activity was going and Aneesh was allowed to take his bike to Ridge with proper care. Ridge, Mall Road and Lakkar Bazar regions are restricted areas where vehicles are not allowed.Birds roaming around Ridge/Mall Road during Saturday Evening :) ... Saturday evenings are very popular for folks in Shimla and Mall road is too much crowded during Saturday evenings. Bird watching could be one of the reasons..A view of Shimla from High Court building. This photograph is clicked from Mall Road only, but near High Court of Himachal Pradesh !!!I am completely in love with Shimla Architecture and my camera couldn't resist clicking all those building on Shimla streets & roads. This photograph was clicked while we were climbing up towards Mall Road from HHH hotel.More beautiful buildings from Shimla, but increasing vehicles are becoming one of the main challenges when parking is biggest issue in the city. But it's amazing to these folks driving so fast on narrow roads with lots of curves here and thereHere comes Mr. Aneesh Awasthi. Here he is trying typical short cuts in Shimla, but mostly they are for walking people not for bikers. Since it's difficult for Aneesh to walk, so he thought of riding down these stairs.During noon there is nothing on Mall road so came down towards Shimla Market and thought of going towards Naldera Golf ground... Although plans changed later. I hope you noticed the density of houses on these hills. There is no difference between these hill stations and metros like Delhi now.Here is a view of Mall road after sunset. Folks have started coming to Mall Road and soon it will be fully loaded, or in fact overloaded.Here is another view of Ridge in Shimla. Ridge and Mall road are well connected with each other and have many decent restuarants around the place. Ridge is basically a huge tank of water which is main supply for various parts of Shimla. There is also an underground makrket called Indira Market and Press Club of Shimla is also situated in this market.Wonderful view of Christ Church on Ridge, Shimla. Bright blue sky make this photograph more intersting... This was a qick photo journey with no plans and thought of sharing here... Hope to be there in Shimla for Christmas and wish to click some the same places with snow !!!


Recently I was in Dalhousie to visit my niece and during one of the days we planned to walk around the mall road in Dalhousie town This Photo Journey shares about some of the interesting places on mall road and few tips for folks planning to visit Dalhousie.Gandhi Chowk is probably the most happening place in Dalhousie town. Dalhousie town is comparatively a smaller town as compared to other popular hill stations and that's why it's a peaceful place. Although don't expect this peaceful enviornment during summers :), which lot of folks from Punjab come here with their kids to spend vacations. Gandhi Chowk is a good place for shopping in Dalhousie. Check out Apple products and some fruit wines produced in Himachal. We also bough few packs of apple pickle, which is yet to be tasted :)These beautiful snow covered mountains of Pir Panjal can be seen from Gandhi Chowk. First two photographs are clicked at Gandhi Chowk. The popular St John's church is situated on Gandhi Chowk and the very first photograph in this Photo Journey shows the same.Mall road connects Gandhi Chowk with Subhash chowk on other side of the town. This whole road overlooks at the beautiful Pir Panjal mountain ranges covered with snow. These hills had got fresh snowfall few days back and they were looking awesome. In above photograph, the bottom part shows cantt area of Dalhousie which is next to Banikhet. The clouds around these snow capped hills were continuously changing the hues and every shade was looking brilliant. Throughout the mall road, various seating arrangement are done. All these places are quite cleaner. These places are so beautifully designed that you feel like taking a pause and sit there to enjoy the brilliant of nature around Dalhousie. Above is one of the views from Mall road. This is Ravi river which keeps changing her views during the day. Many times, it's not even visible because of dense clouds all around Dalhousie town. During 3 days stay, we saw Ravi 2 times for short span of time.Mall road in Dalhousie has some of the exceptional private properties, which are quite expensive as well. Above is not a house but a school near church. I intentionally avoided clicking any personal property there.Clouds keep playing around the town and within minutes you see very contrasting enviornment. Completely hazy view at one moment and bright/clear view after a few minutes. Imagine clouds passing by you and indicating that be ready for showers in a while, so plan accordingly :).After walking through the Mall road we finally hit Subhash Chowk which exposes you to the green valley on the opposite side of snow covered Pir Panjal mountain ranges. St. Francis church is located on Subhash chowk, which is much bigger than the one on Gandhi Chowk. There is a small space in this campus, which is dedicated to colorful birds, rabits, ducks. We had a quick round of this church and got down to the Mall road for tea. Urvi, my niece, was sleeping by that time and we wanted to head back now. We called our taxi guy and headed to the home which is 4 kilometers from Dalhousie town.Apart from the Mall road, there is another smaller and beautiful pathway which connected Subhash Chowk with Gandhi Chowk. This is supposedly the preferred route for local folks who want to same time and energy :), but tourists love the Mall road walk because it exposes you to brilliant views of Himalayas. The whole Mall road is surrounded by Deodar trees which add more to the beauty of this town. Dalhousie has been one of my favorite towns and I like the fact that it's not becoming concrete jungle like other hills stations (Shimla, Mussourie etc.)Do drop us a comment, if you want know more about the place or have some specific queries.

Dalhousie has become second home for me now and whenever I visit there, it's always a confusion if I should visit Chamba or not. Visiting Chamba town has never been so tempting but dil hai ki manta nahin. This time again we landed in Chamba after trekking in Dainkund & a visit to Khajjiar Chamba is district headquarter in Himachal Pradesh comparatively bigger town. Certainly much bigger than Dalhousie in terms of population. Many times viewers of Travellingcamera.com have asked about main places to visit in Chamba town, which was quite surprising for me. But then I understood the reason. Most of the folks book taxi to visit Khajjiar and Chamera dam from Dalhousie . Chamba is an easy option comes on the way and if you have whole day, you can certainly stop at Chamba and visit the famous Bhuri Singh Museum, Laxmi Narayan Temple, Chamunda Temple and the famous Chaugan.Chamba weather is bit harsh and it's harsher when you coming down from Dalhousie & Khajjiar. If you are in Chamba town, do visit Bhuri Singh Museum which showcases some of the old things from local kingdom and how it was related to art & religious beliefs. It's in middle of the market and easily approachable. Entry ticket would cost you 20 Rs.Laxmi Narayan Temple is also near market, so you can walk from Bhuri Singh Museum to the temple. I would recommend to walk around the town as you would come across various interesting architecture. Try local food. It's different from other parts of Himachal.Chaugan is again near market and if you to other end of Chaugan, you can see Ravi river flowing through hills and various water streams merging into it. The view is even better during Monsoons.I am Chamba can offer much more if you plan to spend more time around the town. Chamba Chappal is very famous, so if you like shopping do check out some of the footwear shops. Also check out local stuff in Buttico for pure wool wears. Chamba rumal is again very special. You have to see it to believe. Although I am not sure if it's worth thousands. It was depends upon your interest and how much your pocket can afford.If you plan to visit Chamba and want to know more, drop a comment. I will certainly respond back in reasonable time.If you liked this post and found it helpful, I would request you to follow these things when traveling -- Manage your waste well and don’t litte- Use dustbins. Tell us if you went to a place and found it hard to locate a dustbin.- Avoid bottle waters in hills. Usually you get clean water in hills and water bottles create lot of mess in our ecosystem.- Say big no to plastic and avoid those unhealthy snacks packed in plastic bags. Rather buy fruits.- Don't play loud blaring music in forests of jungle camps. You are a guest in that ecosystem and disturbing the locals (humans and animals) is not polite

3. Shiva Temple (near Khajjiar) : Over the years a Temple has become popular near Khajjiar Lake. There is a huge Shiva statue. It can be skipped unless you have religious reasons to visit. At times it’s misleading when popular travel websites start showing these as main tourist spots.

We started back early next day, when it was still dark. It was really dark and dusty and the drive was slow. Moreover, the fact that we had office that day took the joy out of the drive. Also the fact that this time we were aware of the terrible roads that lay ahead. It took surprisingly long to cross Gurgaon and we reached Delhi at around 11. It was a shame that taking a leave wasn't an option for either of us that day. We could have done with a day off. The trip, though exciting, had been really tiring too. But given a chance, I would visit Churu again, with more time in my hands, and may be dwell among those ancient walls to soak in all the history.

A little more than 3 years back, we were invited to spend a couple of nights at a Haveli turned hotel known as Malji ka Kamra. While the other guests were taking the train, we decided to drive. Google Maps at that time weren't as advanced as they are now. They showed us that the shorter route was the one through Rewari and it would take us a little more than 4 hours to reach there. At that time, I was the only driver among the two of us, and four hours seemed doable even though it was the first time that we would be going on a long drive. We set out early in the morning and the initial 100 kms went pretty fast. We stopped at a dhaba after Rewari for Breakfast. I still remember the parathas were really tasty and the tea must have been okay too. However the smooth ride ended right there.

The most challenging part of the trip was sleeping in the room on the terrace. Our room was tastefully done, but simple. During the tour of the property, we were shown several rooms that were scary has hell. They had weird faces carved into the walls. "What were they thinking?" was the question on our minds as we wondered about the people who had got the haveli built. We were so glad that our rooms were simple. Yet the fact that we were all the way up on the terrace and amidst total and complete darkness, with the faces leering in the creepy rooms below, was unnerving enough.

When I look back at all the trips VJ and I have done together, Churu stands out for more reasons than one - the long drive to Churu and back, my first experience of sand dunes, the thrill of staying in a century-old Haveli, the delight of discovering beautiful frescos on random walls, the joy of listening to Rajasthani folk artists and so much more. There is no dearth of lingering memories when I think about our trip to Churu. But let me share the ones that have left a deeper impression than the others.

 
The next day was very interesting. We walked around looking at dilapidated havelis of Churu. Many of these havelis were in advanced state of deterioration. While some still had people living in them, the others were so overgrown that we were warned of a possibility of venomous snakes lurking around. Sweet! After Churu, we moved on to Ramgarh, where we explored various Chhatris and explored the streets laden with beautiful frescos that have survived centuries of weathering.

After reading various posts about Churu & Ramgarh , lot of viewers have asked very questions in past – how to reach Churu, what’s good time to visit these place, any recommended place to stay, main things to see/explore or something which shouldn’t be missed when in Churu region of Rajasthan, India. All these questions make me think about the quality of my earlier posts :), but then I found reasons to justify it. Anyways, all my earlier posts were more about the experience of various places in Churu & Ramgarh and I hardly talked about the way I reached there etc.How to reach Churu, Rajasthan - So we chose to drive from Delhi to Churu, but I don’t recommend that. Haryana roads are pathetic and frustrates you to the core. Although roads in Rajasthan are amazing. Since there is railway station is there in Churu, why not travel comfortably and hire a taxi for local commute. And in fact, try out local transport system to enjoy the trip in better way.Where to stay in Churu (Rajasthan) -As far as stay in concerned, I was invited by Malji Ka Kamra which is a haveli converted into hotel. A nice place to stay. Apart from that you should be able to find some home stays in this region.Main places to do/explore around Churu region of Rajasthan state in India – I am sure there must be lot of things which I didn’t explore. But here I would mention some of the places I visited or recommended by close friends or bloggers I know.Haveli Tour - Churu is popularly known for it's heritage and havelis left behind by Kothari business families. There are huge havelis spread over the streets of Churu and lot of them are in ruins. Accompany a local who can tell you some eye opening stories about different families who owned these Havelis. Families of care takers are living in some of these Havelis, but it's certainly hard to maintain these huge buildings in Churu.Lacquer Jewelry of Rajasthan state is very popular and there are few families in Churu as well, who are into this business for many generations now. That can be a good gift for your family and friends, when you return from your trip.Pabuji ki Phad is dying craft of Rajasthan. It seems that there are very few folks now who can tell the whole story accurately. It's essentially a story depicted through songs, music, dance and pictorial representation. Some publications have tried to capture the history and stories associated but it seems that skill of telling stories is the key and that was honed by few families. In Churu you can experience it.Desert Camping Churu is also surrounded by desert on one side and hence one can plan to camp in desert. I am not sure, if there are camps to stay overnight but one can certainly go there for few hours, enjoy snacks and star lit sky.Wood Carving Artists (National Award Winner Family)Churu has National Award winning family which is famous for it's unique wood-carved art pieces. This was my best experience to see unimaginable art-pieces and family of artists who won national awards multiple times and shown the talent over the generations.Prem Sarovar is another water body nearby surrounded by farms and trees. Such water bodies are spread over different parts of Rajasthan.Golden Temple of Jains There is a beautiful temple near clock-tower in the middle of Churu market. Beautifully designed. Check out the link to see more photographs of the place.Desert Bonfire - Bonfire in desert can also be a good idea. Thanks to Malji Ka Kamra folks, who arranged everything for us. It was very special experience during Churu trip. Do check out the link to know more.Sethani ka Johara is a beautiful place in Churu town. It's a huge water body surrounded by beautiful architecture. I found it a good place to spend time around sunset. It's little away from hustle bustle of the town and safe as well.Shopping options (Silver utensils) - While visiting Churu, I got to know that lot of Silver stuff is made in these streets and exported to different parts of the world. This boy was making beautiful silver spoons and there were good number of such shops making silver utensils.Here are few options which Tripadvisor suggests - 10 Best places to visit in Churu.

After reading various posts about Churu & Ramgarh , lot of viewers have asked very questions in past – how to reach Churu, what’s good time to visit these place, any recommended place to stay, main things to see/explore or something which shouldn’t be missed when in Churu region of Rajasthan, India. All these questions make me think about the quality of my earlier posts :), but then I found reasons to justify it. Anyways, all my earlier posts were more about the experience of various places in Churu & Ramgarh and I hardly talked about the way I reached there etc.How to reach Churu, Rajasthan - So we chose to drive from Delhi to Churu, but I don’t recommend that. Haryana roads are pathetic and frustrates you to the core. Although roads in Rajasthan are amazing. Since there is railway station is there in Churu, why not travel comfortably and hire a taxi for local commute. And in fact, try out local transport system to enjoy the trip in better way.Where to stay in Churu (Rajasthan) -As far as stay in concerned, I was invited by Malji Ka Kamra which is a haveli converted into hotel. A nice place to stay. Apart from that you should be able to find some home stays in this region.Main places to do/explore around Churu region of Rajasthan state in India – I am sure there must be lot of things which I didn’t explore. But here I would mention some of the places I visited or recommended by close friends or bloggers I know.Haveli Tour - Churu is popularly known for it's heritage and havelis left behind by Kothari business families. There are huge havelis spread over the streets of Churu and lot of them are in ruins. Accompany a local who can tell you some eye opening stories about different families who owned these Havelis. Families of care takers are living in some of these Havelis, but it's certainly hard to maintain these huge buildings in Churu.Lacquer Jewelry of Rajasthan state is very popular and there are few families in Churu as well, who are into this business for many generations now. That can be a good gift for your family and friends, when you return from your trip.Pabuji ki Phad is dying craft of Rajasthan. It seems that there are very few folks now who can tell the whole story accurately. It's essentially a story depicted through songs, music, dance and pictorial representation. Some publications have tried to capture the history and stories associated but it seems that skill of telling stories is the key and that was honed by few families. In Churu you can experience it.Desert Camping Churu is also surrounded by desert on one side and hence one can plan to camp in desert. I am not sure, if there are camps to stay overnight but one can certainly go there for few hours, enjoy snacks and star lit sky.Wood Carving Artists (National Award Winner Family)Churu has National Award winning family which is famous for it's unique wood-carved art pieces. This was my best experience to see unimaginable art-pieces and family of artists who won national awards multiple times and shown the talent over the generations.Prem Sarovar is another water body nearby surrounded by farms and trees. Such water bodies are spread over different parts of Rajasthan.Golden Temple of Jains There is a beautiful temple near clock-tower in the middle of Churu market. Beautifully designed. Check out the link to see more photographs of the place.Desert Bonfire - Bonfire in desert can also be a good idea. Thanks to Malji Ka Kamra folks, who arranged everything for us. It was very special experience during Churu trip. Do check out the link to know more.Sethani ka Johara is a beautiful place in Churu town. It's a huge water body surrounded by beautiful architecture. I found it a good place to spend time around sunset. It's little away from hustle bustle of the town and safe as well.Shopping options (Silver utensils) - While visiting Churu, I got to know that lot of Silver stuff is made in these streets and exported to different parts of the world. This boy was making beautiful silver spoons and there were good number of such shops making silver utensils.Here are few options which Tripadvisor suggests - 10 Best places to visit in Churu.



During our Heritage walk through streets of Churu, we reached a beautifully maintained temple near market. This is a Jain temple and have outer structure similar to a building inside Amer Fort of Jaipur, Rajasthan. This Photo Journey shares some of the golden photographs from the interiors of the temple and colorful fresco pantingsThis Jain Temple in Churu has some of the best paintings painted in Golden colors. This special temple , which is maintained by Kotharis, is at least a few centuries old and worth a visit when you are in ChuruThe Paintings inside Churu Jain Temple are mostly of moral living suggestions type. There are some beautiful paintings on walls and some glass work as well. Whole temple is very well lit with colorful lights. Apart from this temple Churu has various other temples, Gurudwaras & Masjids. Almost all the times, we were hearing prayer sounds from one or other religious places. While walking through the streets, we saw various smaller temples as well. And there were some smaller temples inside few of the Havelis as well. his Jain temple is surrounded by various old Havelis which are comparatively in bad condition. The Havelies in Churu are impressively decorated with Belgian etched kaleidoscopic glasses in many shapes and designs in interiors as well as outer walls. Their intricate designs and wood-carving on door-frames are commendable. Let me stop talking about Havelis again :)It was amazing to see such a temple in this old town of Rajasthan, Churu. Whole temple was glittering with colorful lights and their reflections on golden paintings and galss-designs. Above photograph shows the roof of this temple.This Jain Temple is a must visit option while you take Heritage Tour through old Havelis of Churu.

During our Heritage walk through streets of Churu, we reached a beautifully maintained temple near market. This is a Jain temple and have outer structure similar to a building inside Amer Fort of Jaipur, Rajasthan. This Photo Journey shares some of the golden photographs from the interiors of the temple and colorful fresco pantingsThis Jain Temple in Churu has some of the best paintings painted in Golden colors. This special temple , which is maintained by Kotharis, is at least a few centuries old and worth a visit when you are in ChuruThe Paintings inside Churu Jain Temple are mostly of moral living suggestions type. There are some beautiful paintings on walls and some glass work as well. Whole temple is very well lit with colorful lights. Apart from this temple Churu has various other temples, Gurudwaras & Masjids. Almost all the times, we were hearing prayer sounds from one or other religious places. While walking through the streets, we saw various smaller temples as well. And there were some smaller temples inside few of the Havelis as well. his Jain temple is surrounded by various old Havelis which are comparatively in bad condition. The Havelies in Churu are impressively decorated with Belgian etched kaleidoscopic glasses in many shapes and designs in interiors as well as outer walls. Their intricate designs and wood-carving on door-frames are commendable. Let me stop talking about Havelis again :)It was amazing to see such a temple in this old town of Rajasthan, Churu. Whole temple was glittering with colorful lights and their reflections on golden paintings and galss-designs. Above photograph shows the roof of this temple.This Jain Temple is a must visit option while you take Heritage Tour through old Havelis of Churu.


For last few weeks, you must be seeing various interesting things to explore around Churu region of Rajasthan. During our weekend trip to Churu, we stayed at Malji ka Kamara which is located in the middle of Churu town and this property was a Haveli of Kotharis and now converted into a Heritage Hotel. This Photo Journey shares some of the photographs from Malji Ka Kamara and some details about The Hotel, services they offer and relevant stuff. After a tiring drive from Delhi to Churu, we reached Malji Ka Kamara which is located in one of the streets near Churu Market. Ater reaching at the place, we parked our car. There is space for parking 5-6 vehicles inside the campus and few outside in the street. So Parking can be an issue is Hotel has decent bookings. But the good part is that many of the folks come to Churu by Trains, so it's highly likely that you will get parking inside the campus. Anyways, staff helped us in taking the luggage to our room and offered a welcome drink.Malji Ka Kamra has Solar heating system to get hot water which effectively means that in morning, one may need to wait for hot water. But if needed, staff provides hot water in rooms. Malji Ka Kamra has installed geyser in two of the rooms on top floor and we were lucky to have one of them, so more freedom in getting Hot water whenever we wanted :) , although the fitting were wrong.. The Cold point was giving hot water :) ... After having bath with hot water and a quick nap, we headed towards the restaurant for lunch.Above Photograph shows the Restaurant of Malji Ka Kamara and the view is from first floor. Like the Havelis we see in Bollywood movies, Malji Ka Kamra has very high roof in the middle and first floor of the Haveli ha visibility to the ground floor through lobbies in all four directions. This corridor gives a royal feeling of being at a haveli. Some parts of the Haveli are kept intact to make visitors feel about the older look and feel of the place. It seems Foreigner tourists like that style, which don't even understood by Indian visitors. This is a common sentence you would hear or experience in Rajasthan. Folks from Rajasthan Tourism industry understand the foreigner tourists better and plan things accordingly. Let me stop here and write a separate post of the behavioral and strategic decision making of Rajasthan Tourism Stakeholders.Malji ka Kamra was built long time back in 1920, which was use by Kotharis for many years and then turned into ruins for a significant duration. Restoration of this Haveli started in 2006.. Haveli was in very bad shape when restoration started, because it was locked for more than 20 years and condition was very bad, which is happening with many of the other Havelis in Churu. Kotharis used to have this Haveli only for guests. Their family Haveli is just across the street which was again a huge building with colorful paintings. Malji Ka Kamara has mint green extiriors and there are different personalities sculptured on the walls, although these creations look very odd :) . It seems that original color of the Haveli was almost same and restorers attempted to retain those hues of this building.ere is view we get on seeing up from the Restaurant of Malji Ka Kamara.Malji Ka Kamara is considered as one of the well maintained Havelis (palaces) in Shekhawati region of Rajasthan State in India.Food served at Malji Ka kamara was nice. The Hotel has trained local chefs who are really good at cooking Rajasthani as well as other cuisines. During our stay we were were some of the famous rajasthani delicacies and we loved them. Staff was very polite, although they may need more training with time. The good part is the local folks are hired by Hotel which is a good way of ensuring that local communities also grow along with local tourism and the business of these Hotels. Local folks may not be that trained but with time, things can be changed and we have seen that happening in many of the other properties across India. So I personally like such properties which take responsibility of their own localities one or the other way.The Staff at Malji Ka Kamara offers some of the cool activities which make your stay experience more memorable to cherish for longer period of time. Two days for me were very tight and I wish to visit Churu again with at least 3 days in hands. I love to spend time with local culture, place, people at my own pace. During the stay we had Heritage Haveli Walk in Churu Town, Desert BonFire with lot of shooting stars around us, High Tea at Sethani ka Joahara, Visit to Golden Jain Temple in Churu Town, Royal Lunch at Prem Sarovar, Haveli Tour in Ramgarh, Visit to another Heritage Hotel in Ramgarh, Meeting National Award Winner Family of Wood-Carving Artists and some shopping of hand-made lacquer bangels. This list is never-ending and we missed lot of things which will be covered during our next visit. And here I would like to thanks the staff at Malji Ka Kamara who arranged all of these for us. Churu is not very popular destination among majority of the tourists who visit Rajasthan State of India, but it's definitely a hot off-beat destination and many of the foreigner tourists visit Shekhawati region and Thar Desert. Churu which is gateway to Thar is another special destination for those visitors. Due to seasonal and lesser inflow of tourists, local hospitality industry is not that mature but that gels well with the local atmosphere. So if you plan to visit this region, expect some hiccups and some non-touristic things.Above photograph shows one of the few rooms which are in their original form. But there are only very few such rooms which are maintained like they were earlier and reason is that it was very difficult to restore major parts of the Haveli. Arrangements in all the rooms are quite comfortable and if you feel something missing, staff is ready to help you on a call. Staff at Malji Ka Kamara is quite co-operative. Some of them had some language problems, but it was manageable. This Hotel has some of the selected folks from the region like Mr. Lal Singh, who is acclaimed guide in Shekhawati region. He took us to the Haveli tour in Churu. Since most of the Haveli Owners/Caretakers know him, we got access to go inside and see some of the beautiful Havelis in town. Likewise, Malaji Ka Kamara is associated with some historians who visit the hotel to share some facts about the history of Churu and Shekhawati with tourists staying there. Although we had our own doubts on some of the facts shared by Mr. Bhanwar Singh Somour, but he looked a passionate and knowledgeable person who has high regards for his land, culture and the way different families of this region has influenced various things in our country.Most of the rooms at Malji Ka Kamra look just like any other Hotel and don't have any old paintings on walls of roof, expect the few which are mentioned above. But Malji Ka Kamra Management tried to give Rajasthani touch to the rooms by using some of the local crafted stuff. The rooms are large and comfortable with basic facilities and bathrooms are also very basic. To know more about the place, checkout their original website which has appropriate contact details as well.We enjoyed being there at Malji Ka Kamara, it's humble staff and moderatelycrowded lanes full of old Havelis around it...



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